The Israeli Basketball League finals are set after both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv completed semifinal sweeps to book a highly anticipated best-of-five derby championship series beginning Tuesday at Yad Eliyahu.
Maccabi Tel Aviv cruised past Hapoel Holon 89-61 to complete a 3-0 series sweep, using a dominant second half to pull away after leading by just seven points at the break.
Jaylen Hoard led the way with 18 points, while Jimmy Clark, returning from injury, and Zach Hankins each added 14. Roman Sorkin chipped in 13 points. Jordan Wright scored 14 points, and Adama Sanogo added 12 for Holon.
“I’m happy and proud of how we advanced to the final,” Maccabi coach Oded Katash said. “We continued to improve from game to game despite injuries and other challenges. The players deserve a lot of credit.”
Katash highlighted rebounding and defensive intensity as keys to the sweep but acknowledged concerns over injuries heading into the finals, noting that Gur Lavy and TJ Leaf will miss the series while Tamir Blatt is expected to return at some point.
Hapoel Tel Aviv completes the sweep
Holon coach Predrag Krunic praised his players despite the defeat.
“We came to play and win, but Maccabi played really well in the second half on both sides of the floor,” Krunic said. “Our players did the best they could, and we achieved our goal of qualifying for the Basketball Champions League.”
Clark, who returned to action after an injury layoff, said he is excited for the championship matchup.
“It feels great to be back with this group,” he said. “We believe it will be a good matchup. We’ve played them four times this season, but those games don’t matter now. We’re looking forward to it.”
Meanwhile, Hapoel Tel Aviv completed its own sweep with an 89-81 victory over Hapoel Jerusalem. Yam Madar and Vasilije Micic starred as Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad pulled away in the fourth quarter after a tightly contested game through three periods.
Micic scored 26 points, and Madar added 22, while Nimrod Levi paced Jerusalem with 22 points and Jared Harper chipped in 16.
“We were the better team in this series,” Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Dimitrios Itoudis said. “We won the battle on the boards, controlled the 50-50 balls, and limited their transition game. Ultimately, we wanted it more.”
Hapoel Jerusalem’s season comes to a bittersweet end
Jerusalem coach Yonatan Alon lamented the end of a difficult season.
“You can never be happy after a loss,” Alon said. “This was a tough season and a tough way to finish, but credit to them. They made big plays when it mattered.”
Madar emphasized the significance of reaching the finals.
“I’m really happy. There was pressure on us, but we got the job done,” he said. “We’re ready for the final and want to do something special.”
The best-of-five championship series will mark the latest chapter in the fierce Tel Aviv rivalry, with both clubs now three wins away from claiming the Israeli league title.
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Source:
www.jpost.com
