The Yellow & Blue summarized the defeat to Gilboa Galil. Sfairopoulos: “The third period killed our game. Oz Blayzer: “It’s not an easy loss, but there is still a long path as we enter the final phase”
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv dropped their second contest against Hapoel Gilboa/Galil this season, 78:85 in Gan Ner. After a tight first half, the Reds ran away in the third quarter, gaining an 18 point margin, the Yellow & Blue tried to make a comeback effort in the fourth quarter but fell short, recording their fourth domestic league loss of the season.
Wilbekin finished the night as the top scorer with 22 points, Tyler Dorsey added 17, and Othello Hunter contributed 14 points. Yovel Zoosman played 4 minutes in his first return to the court since suffering a partially torn lateral collateral ligament on his right knee, which occurred back in late February.
Maccabi’s next stop will be in Haifa, as they’ll play against the local Maccabi squad on Saturday night before completing the second round against Beer Sheva next week.
“The third period killed our game because we didn’t execute offensively, and on the defensive side of the ball, we allowed easy points and 32 in total”, Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos about the causes that led to the loss. “We didn’t protect the paint allowing easy layups and offensive rebounds, and it was apparent we weren’t mentally strong to play against a tough team”.
“In the first half, we did an okay job keeping them on 37 points, but we let them get into a rhythm, didn’t defend good enough, which hurt our offensive flow”, Added Oz Blayzer. “It’s not an easy loss, but there is still a long path as we enter the final phase. On Saturday, we need to return to our aggressive play, and each one of us needs to improve”.
