The Yellow & Blue beat Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion 86:81 in the Final Four Final. The MVP of the night, Amar’e Stoudemire scored 18 points and 7 rebounds, Sandy Cohen and Othello Hunter each added 16 points
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv is the 2019/2020 Israel “Winner” League Champions! Giannis Sfairopoulos’s squad fought hard in the final minutes of the Final Four Final versus Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion. However, the Yellow & Blue dominated the offensive boards and relied on Amar’e Stoudemire in the final minutes to keep the lead on its way to an 86:81 win.
Scottie Wilbekin, Deni Avdija, Angelo Caloiaro, Amar’e Stoudemire and Othello Hunter began the game for Maccabi. Alex Hamilton, DeAngelo Harrison, Oz Blayzer, Darryl Monroe, and Zach Hankins for Rishon Le’Zion.
Hunter scored a deep 2 to open up the final, and Stoudemire laid it in for a quick lead, but Blayzer knocked in a corner three after a deflected pass, 6:6. Caloiaro and Avdija responded with back to back triples, and the young forward led the Yellow & Blue to a 7:0 stretch, including a highlight drive and assist to Hunter, who slammed it down for a three-point play, 17:8.
Harrison connected twice from deep to cut the lead down to 3, but Dorsey responded with two triples of his own as part of an 8:0 run, giving Maccabi a double-digit advantage, 27:16. Harrison drilled a quarter ending three for his 14th point, 29:21 after the first 10 minutes.
Stoudemire slammed in the Yellow & Blue’s fourth dunk of the night, but Blayzer scored 5 consecutive points reducing the lead in half, 31:26. Sandy Cohen started another 7:0 stretch, grabbing a defensive board and laying it on the other end as Dorsey connected for his third triple of the night, 38:26. Jake Cohen blocked Monroe inside the paint on the defensive end, as Dorsey & Sandy Cohen drilled two more from behind the arc, 44:31.
The Yellow & Blue defense helped on the offensive end as Cohen continued his incredible first half dropping two more shots from deep, providing Maccabi a 22 point advantage, 54:32. Hamilton scored two buckets to decrease the lead down to 18 at halftime, 54:36.
Adam Ariel and Monroe scored 5 straight points, but Hunter provided Stoudemire back to back assists in the paint, 58:41. Hankins scored his first two points of the final after grabbing an offensive board, and Harrison converted 7 consecutive points for Rishon Le’Zion keeping them in the contest, 63:50.
Cohen hit a fadeaway jumper, as Monroe knocked in two from the charity strike, and Harrison cut the lead to single digits, 65:57. Wilbekin lobbed to Hunter, who slammed it, and a possession later, converted another basket to finish the third with a 10 point lead, 69:59.
Jake Cohen laid in the first points of the final quarter, but Hamilton from mid-range and Harrison reduced the advantage to single digits, 71:63. Hunter added one from the line, Wilbekin hit his first three-pointer but Harrison, with the help of Blayzer, lowered the deficit midway through the fourth, 75:70.
The Oranges went to Harrison, who drilled a clutch three to diminish the lead to 3, but in the final minutes, the MVP of the night Amar’e Stoudemire carried the Yellow & Blue scoring three consecutive buckets, 81:76. Ariel sank another three-pointer, on the other end Caloiaro grabbed a critical offensive rebound and notched one of two from the line, 82:79 with a minute left on the game clock.
Harrison drew a foul and scored both free throws, Stoudemire responded with two of his own from the charity strike, 84:81. Harrison missed a layup as Wilbekin hit both free throws giving Maccabi a 5 point advantage, 86:81. Avdija guarded Harrison, who turned the ball over after a half-court violation, which sealed the deal. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv win their 54th Israeli Championship after an 86:81 win over Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion.
