Cholet was no match for Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, who took charge of the game from the first moment and had the win sealed up by the end of the first quarter. Lampe was outstanding with 20 points and 7 rebounds.
By Amy Samin
Maccabi started the game with nearly the same line-up as the game before: Chuck Eidson, Andrew Wisniewski, Stephane Lasme, and D’or Fischer, with the addition of Guy Pnini in place of the injured Alan Anderson.
Pnini, taking the 2-3 position, helped get the game off to a strong start for Maccabi with a steal and a rebound, and after two and a half minutes Maccabi was leading 9 – 0 off baskets from Lasme, Eidson and Wisniewski.
At the five minute mark, Pnini scored a three-pointer to put Maccabi up 14 – 2.
Points by Eidson from the free throw line and good moves by Lasme and Fischer took Maccabi’s lead to 19 – 4 with three minutes left in the period.
Maccabi squashed the French team’s offense with tight defense, not letting them get near the basket.
An unsportsmanlike foul on Lasme helped Maccabi’s lead swell to 17.
Near the end of the quarter Maciej Lampe came into the game for Lasme, and Eidson scored some free throws to set the score at 25 – 6.
Doron Perkins and Raviv Limonad also came into the game for Maccabi near the end of the first quarter, and an alley-oop from Perkins to Fischer set the score at 29 – 10 at the end of the first period.
Maccabi started the second quarter with Perkins, Limonad and team captain Derrick Sharp on the back line.
Perkins started this period exactly the way he ended the previous one, with an alley-oop – this time to Lasme, and Lampe also scored to take Maccabi’s lead to 33 – 10 after a minute of play.
Pressure from Maccabi’s back line, especially Perkins and Sharp, caused Cholet to lose the ball over and over, and allowed Maccabi to set the fast pace they prefer.
Perkins, with his fourth straight assist, sent Lampe to score yet again, putting Maccabi up 40 – 10 after four minutes of play in the period.
Gal Mekel got his first minutes in the game and Limonad scored to make Maccabi’s lead 46 – 10.
Lasme had some great minutes, scoring, taking rebounds, and sending a fabulous assist to Lampe; Maccabi’s lead swelled to 50 – 14 with two minutes left in the half.
An assist and points from Mekel gave Maccabi an impressive 57 – 14 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Limonad started instead of Wisniewski, and Eidson got things going with points from the foul line and a dunk off an assist from Limonad.
All the players worked to get Lampe into flow of the game, and he responded with outside shots that helped put Maccabi up 67 – 18 three minutes into the third period.
Head coach Pini Gershon continued to sub in different players, and sent Mekel and Perkins to man the back line.
The French team woke up enough to score on four straight possessions, giving them 28 points to Maccabi’s 71, with three minutes left in the quarter.
Mekel’s two baskets and assist at the end of the period gave Maccabi a 77 – 34 lead at the end of the period (20 – 20 for the quarter).
Yaniv Green, who got his first minutes in the game at the start of the fourth quarter, didn’t waste any time making his presence felt, fighting for the ball, scoring and throwing an assist to Pnini for a three-pointer, taking Maccabi’s lead to 83 – 36 with seven minutes left in the game.
After a brief battle of dunks between the French team’s Barnet and Green, Maccabi capped off their domination of the game by hitting the century mark, and the game ended with the score 100 – 47, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.
Box Scores
Maccabi: Lampe 20 points, 7 rebounds; Pnini 12 points; Eidson 11 points; Lasme 11 points, 5 rebounds; Mekel 8 points, 6 assists; Limonad 7 points, 4 steals; Wisniewski 4 points, 4 assists; Sharp 3 points; Shoutvin 2 points.
Sharon Drucker: “We were sharper tonight, and really attacked them from the first minute.
The guys who didn’t watch the scoreboard deserve to be complimented, even with such a huge lead they took the game seriously and played to improve their game as well as to win.
Everyone had a part in this win, and of course that helps build team spirit.
Andrew Wisniewski: “We got off to a great start.
There were a lot of assists and great shooting percentages.
We don’t want to judge our opponents.
We had a great game.
Personally, I’ve adapted very well.
We’ve got a good chemistry on the team, and we enjoy playing together.”
Gal Mekel: “It’s a new start, for the team and for me.
I think that both as a team, and personally, we will improve from game to game.
There are different expectations of me that I need to meet, and a different game style. Pini Gershon’s system has proven itself, and if it works for others it will work for me, too.
I made the decision to come to Maccabi because I believe in myself.
It’s a decision that I think will pay off in the long run.”
Doron Perkins: “It’s easier not to be the lead player in a position because then you can focus on the things you’re best at.
I want to be the starting point guard, I know I can help the team, but you have to see what is best for the team.”
Guy Pnini: “To wear the Maccabi jersey has been a dream of mine, but after a while you get past that and focus on the game.”
