Hapoel Jerusalem runs away from Eilat

Yellow-and-blue back in first after rout of Herzliya

By JOSHUA HALICKMAN
BEITAR JERUSALEM players celebrate their team’s second goal in a 3-0 surprise road victory over Hapoel Hadera last night in Premier League action (photo credit: UDI ZITIAT)
BEITAR JERUSALEM players celebrate their team’s second goal in a 3-0 surprise road victory over Hapoel Hadera last night in Premier League action
(photo credit: UDI ZITIAT)
Hapoel Jerusalem visited Hapoel Eilat and took home an 82-70 win over the weekend in Basketball Super League action as the Reds dominated the second half of play.
State Cup MVP Tashawn Thomas picked up where he left off and recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, Lior Eliyahu continued his fine play with 15 points and Yogev Ohayon dropped 12 points for Oded Katash’s squad.
Elijah Bryant led Eilat with 18 points as Idan Zalmanson and Suleiman Braimoh each scored 12 points in the defeat.
Jerusalem grabbed a one point lead (39-38) after 20 minutes at the Red Sea side as Josh Owens and J’Covan Brown teamed up for almost half of the Reds’ points, while Bryant and Zalmanson led the way for Eilat in the first half.
Thomas and Ohayon each hit the 10-point mark as Katash’s crew began to pull away in the third quarter, taking a 58-51 advantage into the final frame. Eliyahu and Thomas continued to score at will in the fourth quarter as Jerusalem wrapped up the 12-point victory.
Meanwhile, first-place Maccabi Tel Aviv dismantled Bnei Herzliya 88-70 at Yad Eliyahu in Tel Aviv.
Michael Roll scored 15 points, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, John DiBartolomeo dropped 14 points with a trio of triples and Scottie Wilbekin scored 12 points in the win.
Youngster Dori Sahar scored his first league points on a three-pointer after making his debut last week against Nahariya.
An outgunned Herzliya was led by James Robinson and Jeff Adrien, each scoring 12 points.
The yellow-and-blue set the tone early taking a 18-9 lead after 10 minutes and held a 70-47 advantage after three quarters as it cruised to the victory.
Also, Hapoel Holon dropped Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 85-75 in the Galilee. Guy Pnini led the way with 12 points and eight assists, while Corey Walden added 16 points and Scottie Reynolds chipped in with 12 points for the visitors.
Durand Scott poured in 19 points and Netanel Artzi scored 13 points for Gilboa, but it wasn’t enough for Ariel Beit Halachmi’s team.
Pnini’s strong first half gave Holon a 43-31 lead at the break while Walden, Reynolds and Cline picked up the slack in the second half for Dan Shamir’s side as it ran away with the 10-point win at Gan Ner.
Also, Hapoel Tel Aviv exacted a bit of revenge with a 78-64 win over Maccabi Rishon Lezion at home.
The TA Reds, who were eliminated by the wine city side in the State Cup semifinals last week, used a 48-25 second half to secure the win.
Tomer Ginat’s 16 points led the way as Jamal Shuler added 13 points and Raviv Limonad chipped in with 12 points for Danny Franco’s squad. Adam Ariel was the high scorer for Rishon with 17 points, while Egor Koulechov scored 15 points in the loss.
Ariel, Koulechov and Alex Hamilton helped the visitors to a 39-30 advantage after 20 minutes of action, but Ginat, Shuler and Limonad set the pace in the second half to take the victory.
In other action, Maccabi Ashdod ran away with a 93-74 win over Nahariya in a relegation battle at the port city. Paul Stoll scored 24 points and dished out 10 assists, Jake Pemberton added 24 points and Mark Tollefsen chipped in with 14 points in the win. Eric Griffin scored 18 points and Dagan Yivzori added 15 points in the loss.
Pemberton’s hot hand, along with Tollefsen and Josh Carter, helped Ashdod jump out to a 15-point advantage (48-33) over Nahariya following two quarters of action. In the second half it was all Stoll as the point guard helped take Brad Greenberg’s squad to the victory.
Ness Ziona dominated Hapoel Beersheba 90-78 in a game that was never close.
Visiting Ness Ziona took a 53-26 lead into halftime and never looked back as six players had at least nine points. Talib Zanna scored 20 points, Tal Dunne dropped 16 points and added nine assists, while Gary Browne chipped in with 14 points in the win. Jordan Swing scored 20 points for the hosts in defeat.