In round 22 of the Israeli Winner Sal League Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv was defeated by Hapoel Tel Aviv 84-68. Mekel led Maccabi’s scorers with 14 points.
Share Article
By Amy Samin
In round 22 of the Israeli Winner Sal League Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv was defeated by Hapoel Tel Aviv 84-68. Gal Mekel led Maccabi’s scorers with 14 points, Ike Ofoegbu added 12 points, and Guy Pnini and Trevor Mbakwe scored 9 points each.
Coach Tabak started the game with Guy Pnini, Yogev Ohayon, Gal Mekel, Trevor Mbakwe, and Ike Ofoegbu, but the latter was charged with two fouls in the first minute and was replaced by Itay Segev. Mekel got off to a great start in the first derby of his career, taking Maccabi to a 10-4 lead halfway through the quarter. Hapoel, led by Rothbart, made it a two point game, 14-12, but a triple by Pnini and points by Taylor Rochestie gave Maccabi some breathing room. The visitors didn’t give up and tied the score at 19 by the end of period.
Hapoel ran to 25-19 in the first two minutes of the second quarter, as Ofoegbu racked up another early foul. Points from the foul line by Rochestie and Segev closed the gap to three, but the rest of the quarter belonged to the reds, who increased their lead to 31-22. Five straight points by Pnini and points by Mbakwe in the paint made it 31-29, but once again Hapoel opened up a lead, and the half ended with the score 40-29.
Hapoel’s momentum continued in the second half as their lead grew to 45-33. Sylven Landesberg, Ohayon, and Mbakwe managed to cut the deficit to 51-44 after five minutes, but Hapoel responded with six straight points and reclaimed their double digit lead. Mekel and Rochestie combined for five points to pull to 58-48, but a three pointer by Tamir Blatt made it 69-50 to Hapoel going into the final quarter.
Despite points by Ofoegbu Hapoel kept their lead at ten, 64-54 after three minutes. Maccabi had a hard time scoring and Tabak called for a time out with the yellows trailing 69-56. Every time Maccabi managed to close the gap a little, Hapoel responded with a three pointer. In the end, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv lost to Hapoel Tel Aviv 84-68.
