For the second time in a week, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Maccabi Ashdod, this time 99 – 82. Seven players from Tel Aviv scored in double figures.
By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv returned to Lotto League play in fine style, defeating Maccabi Ashdod at Nokia Arena by the score 99 – 82, in week 17 of league play.
Seven Maccabi players scored in double figures, and Jeremy Pargo made 10 assists (out of a total of 27 for the team).
Fans of Maccabi’s Facebook page selected Sofoklis Schortsanitis as the game MVP.
Pargo, Guy Pnini, Lior Eliyahu, Sofo, and Doron Perkins started the game for Maccabi, while Ashdod led off with Wayne Wallace, Josh Duncan, Ramel Bradley, Nir Berkowitz, and Meir Tapiro.
Pnini kicked things off for Maccabi with a three pointer from the right wing after a minute and a half of play.
Sofo, Eliyahu and Perkins all scored to make it 9 – 3 after three and a half minutes.
Two straight buckets by Berkowitz put the visitors back in the game for awhile, but Maccabi then went on a 10 – 0 scoring run that included points by Sofo, David Blu, Pargo, and Chuck Eidson to put Maccabi up 19 – 7 with less than two minutes left in the period.
Meanwhile, on defense Maccabi forced turnovers and a shot clock violation on Ashdod.
A catch-and-shoot from Blu and more points by Eliyahu gave Maccabi a 25 – 11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Ashdod looked a bit sharper at the start of the second quarter, with Tapiro and Juan Martin scoring to put the visitors within eight, 29 – 21 after three minutes.
Points by Pnini on an inbounds gave Maccabi back their double digit lead, but not for long; buckets by Tapiro and Duncan made it 32 – 28 with four minutes left in the half.
Richard Hendrix came into the game and immediately pulled down an offensive rebound, then added two points off an amazing shot from directly under the basket, 35 – 30 with three minutes left.
But Ashdod didn’t give up, and points from Duncan made it a one point game.
Wallace on a fastbreak gave Ashdod the lead as time ran out on the second period, and the teams went into the break with the score 38 – 37, Ashdod.
Tapiro started off the third quarter with points for Ashdod, but was answered at the other end by Sofo with a bucket and one.
The center also added an assist to Eliyahu, who scored to put Maccabi up 42 – 40 after two and a half minutes of play.
The score see-sawed for awhile, with Tapiro and Martin trying to keep Ashdod in the lead, but Eliyahu tied the game at 40 and a bomb from the left wing by Perk put Maccabi up for good, 49 – 46.
Another Sofo-style three point play, a classic catch-and-shoot by Blu in the left corner, and two from the charity stripe by Eidson gave Maccabi some breathing room, 57 – 51 just past the halfway mark in the period.
Hendrix scored seven straight for Maccabi, while the defense continued to throw off Ashdod’s rhythm, breaking up plays and forcing a backcourt violation.
Pnini’s layup and one rounded out the period, with Maccabi leading 69 – 61.
Maccabi’s defense was in fine form at the start of the fourth quarter, and their offense wasn’t too shabby, either: Perk’s layup and one was soon followed by a steal + one-handed dunk by Eidson, which made it 74 – 61.
The home team continued with their full court press, and forced another shot clock violation on Ashdod.
Two shots from downtown (Eidson and Perkins) made it a twenty point lead for Maccabi after three and a half minutes, 82 – 62.
Carter and company tried to get back in the game, but five more points from Blu kept them at bay.
Eight points by Bradley in the final three minutes weren’t enough for Ashdod, especially with Sofo and Eliyahu on the job.
The game ended with a dunk by the Greek center, which gave Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv a 99 – 82 victory over Maccabi Ashdod.
Box Score:
Maccabi: Schortsanitis 18 points, 7 rebounds; Eliyahu 17 points, 5 rebounds; Eidson and Blu 14 points each; Perkins 12 points; Hendrix and Pnini 10 points each; Pargo 4 points, 10 assists.
Maccabi’s head coach David Blatt talked about the win: “I’m pleased, because it’s been awhile since we had a close game; we needed it.
At the half, we decided to put everything aside and start playing our regular game.
It took awhile, but we found our rhythm and our defense and we finished the game like we should.
Ashdod deserves praise.”
About the upcoming Euroleague Top 16 game in Slovenia, Blatt said, “It’s not going to be the same story against Ljubljana.
We have three days to prepare, and we need to work hard and be smart.
They haven’t lost at home all year, except for a one point loss to Barcelona.
We’ll need to be at our best to win there….They’re talking in Barcelona?
Let them talk, we come to play.”
“We’ve had a great two weeks, and we’ve played great basketball,” said Sofoklis Schortsanitis after the game.
“We remember the game against Bnei Hasharon, and we didn’t want it to happen again.”
Sofo also talked about the skirmish that took place in the Cup final: “It was a dark moment, and I’m sure everyone who was involved regrets it.
I regret it, but it belongs in the past.”
Lior Eliyahu summed things up: “We just didn’t play in the second quarter, but in the second half we played the way we should.”
About the upcoming Euroleague game, he noted, “We’ll be playing in Ljubljana before a crowd of 13,000, and that’s a completely different story.
It will be a different atmosphere, and we’ll have to be a lot sharper.”
