The Yellow & Blue were dominant throughout the contest thanks to great performances by Caloiaro and Wilbekin. Giannis Sfairopoulos squad are now one win away from lifting the championship as they’ll try to complete the task on Wednesday in Gan Ner
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv made one more step towards securing their fourth consecutive Israeli Winner League championship, surpassing past Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 83:74 on Monday evening in Game 1 in the best of 3 series. In front of a sold-out crowd in Menora Mivtachim Arena, Giannis Sfairopoulos’s squad were the more focused and aggressive from the tip-off, holding a comfortable margin for most minutes of the contests.
Scottie Wilbekin led the Yellow & Blue with 24 points, and Angelo Caloiaro contributed 16 points (12 of them coming from behind the arc). Ante Zizic was active in the paint, adding 11 points and 9 rebounds, John DiBartolomeo drilled three triples for 9 points as Omri Casspi ( 7 rebounds) and Chris Jones scored 8 points each.
On Wednesday, Maccabi will head out to Gan Ner for Game 2 of the Israeli Winner League Finals series with a chance to close out the season with the clubs’ 55th championship title. However, in case of a loss, the teams will return to Menora Mivtachim Arena 24 hours later for a decisive game 3.
Game Recap:
Scottie Wilbekin, Yovel Zoosman, Angelo Caloiaro, Angelo Caloiaro, and Ante Zizic started for the Yellow & Blue, while Avishai Gordon’s unit opened with Yiftach Ziv, Joe Thomasson, Netanel Artzi, Kerry Blackshear, and Jehyve Floyd.
Zizic tipped in two off an offensive board as Wilbekin drilled a shot from deep and floated in two high off the board over Artzi for a quick 7:0 start. Floyd laid in back-to-back buckets for the northern’s first points of the Finals, but Caloario answered twice from deep, and Casspi added two from the free-throw line, opening a double-digit advantage, 15:4.
The visitors scored 7 unanswered points as Ziv and Blackshear scored inside, cutting the margin down to 4. Caloiaro connected for his third triple of the quarter as Thomasson and Benaya Srur closed out the first ten minutes, 21:15.
John DiBartolomeo drilled two shots from behind the arc, and Othello Hunter grabbed three straight offensive boards finishing strong around the rim, ramping the margin back to double digits, 31:20. Arzi floated in two off an outlet pass, and Ziv found Floyd for an alley-oop finish. On the other end, Wilbekin drilled a mid-range jumper, Casspi tipped in two off an offensive rebound, and Caloiaro added another three-pointer, 40:28.
Chris Jones beat the 24-second shot clock with a deep two, but Isaiah Cousins led the Reds to a late run connecting from three, adding a pull-up jumper as Thomasson closed the half with Gilboa/Galil’s third triple, 42:36.
The Yellow & Blue defense stopped the northern squad scoreless for the first three and a half minutes as Wilbekin and Zoosman converted from the free-throw line. Floyd responded with a ferocious left-handed slam as both offensive sides got it going, with Wilbekin and Caloiaro for Maccabi opposed by Ziv and Artzi, 52:45.
Casspi swished a triple after a Zoosman offensive rebound, and Jones passed by his defender, laying in two beautiful points leading to an Avishai Gordon timeout and a double-digit margin. Gil Benny knocked down a corner three, and Blackshear laid in two, reducing the edge down to 7 heading into the final quarter, 57:50.
Wilbekin scored four points in the paint, DiBartolomeo hit his third triple of the night, and Zizic converted from the charity strike, increasing the margin up to 14. However, the Reds didn’t say their last word going on a 7:0 run as Floyd tipped in a bucket after a Blackshear miss, Ziv laid in two as he was fouled, completing a three-point possession, and later dished an assist to Floyd, who finished near to the rim, 66:59.
Wilbekin continued his excellent quarter scoring 7 consecutive points for the hosts, passing by his defender, finding an open lane to the basket for an easy layup, and next possession, the American guard, knocked down a typical three-pointer regaining a double-digit lead. Zoosman drove to the basket on the baseline, laid in two, and found Zizic, who sealed the deal with an easy bucket. Maccabi gains a 1:0 series lead after an 83:74 win over Gilboa/Galil.
