The national team, guided by Zvika Sherf, beat Macedonia 92-87 and won the “last chance tournament”. Halperin scored 26
Israel has qualified for the Eurobasket 2007 tournament, after beating Macedonia 92-87 in Friday evening’s crucial last chance qualifier. The Israelis had beaten Bosnia and Herzegovina in their previous game.
The national team kicks off its Eurobasket campaign on Monday against Greece, who are the reigning European champions and World Championship runner-ups and are considered clear favorites for the game.
The Israelis will also have to deal with Serbia and Russia in Group A of the competition. Russia is currently being guided by David Blatt.
Tzvika Sherf’s side had to survive a defiant challenge from a veteran FYROM side, which almost completed a dramatic comeback in the final minutes. But the Israelis eventually held on with a brilliant backcourt display.
Sherf: “This is an important win for Israeli basketball. We have been through qualification before, but this summer was very hard. We deserve this success. This is a very proud team that always puts in the maximum effort”.
Yotam Halperin scored 15 of his 26 points in the first period and looked virtually unstoppable. Meir Tapiro shook off the rust and registered 20 points, 6 boards and 7 assists. Ido Kozikaro did a good job in the paint with 6 points and 10 boards. Lior Eliyahu finished with 15 points in just 19 minutes of play.
