By Amy Samin

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv wrapped up a fantastic season on Thursday night with a 91 – 64 victory over Hapoel Gilboa Galil in the Lotto League Final that marked the 49^th time in the club’s history that Maccabi has won the Israeli league championship. Coach David Blatt and his team celebrated until dawn.

Jeremy Pargo, David Blu, Guy Pnini, Chuck Eidson, and Sofoklis Schortsanitis started the game for Maccabi, facing off against Gal Mekel, Warren Carter, Marco Killingsworth, Dagan Yavzuri, and Courtney Fells. Sofo and Blu worked their magic in the paint and from downtown to kick things off, and after two minutes Maccabi led 10 – 0. Fells and Carter finally put up some points for Gilboa Galil, but Maccabi’s defense made them fight for every point, breaking up plays, blocking shots (Richard Hendrix) and stealing the ball (Pnini). Meanwhile, Pargo scored from the top of the arc and dished twice in a row to Blu, who drained two more threes and put Maccabi up 22 – 8 with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter. The period ended with Maccabi leading 24 – 13.

Hendrix opened the second quarter with a steal, which was followed by a three from Pnini and a dunk by Lior Eliyahu that made it 29 – 13 after two minutes. Crisp passing opened up the paint and enabled Sofo to score; he added the extra point after being fouled, then scored again, a putback dunk that set the score at 34 – 18 at the halfway mark in the period. Maccabi’s defense continued to harass Gilboa Galil until Fells scored twice to put Gilboa within twelve, 38 – 26. Hendrix added a putback at one end and rejected a shot by Carter at the other end, and with a minute and a half left in the period Pargo scored a layup to make it 42 – 29. The half ended with a defensive rebound by Milan Mačvan, who sent a cross-court bullet to Pnini for the catch-and-shoot three at the buzzer, ending the period with the score 47 – 35, Maccabi.

Cater and Killingsworth scored early in the third quarter, but Pargo, Pnini, and co-captain Tal Burstein each scored from three-point range to make it 56 – 43 after four minutes. A Blu-and-shoot from the top of the arc and four points by Eidson (including a reverse layup) brought Maccabi’s lead close to twenty, 63 – 44 with three minutes left in the period. Gilboa’s offense started to crumble, with passes gone awry and sloppy ball handling, and the quarter ended with points by Blu and Mačvan putting the score at 67 – 49.

The fourth quarter got started with points by Fells for Gilboa, but Eliyahu scored off a great assist from Pargo while Pnini continued to deliver excellent defense at the other end of the court. A fadeaway in the paint by Pnini was followed by a mid-range jumper by Mačvan, and the teams went into a time out with Maccabi leading by twenty, 73 – 53. The teams exchanged baskets over the next couple of minutes, with Maccabi preserving their lead, then extending it off a three by Eidson, 81 – 58 midway through the period. Pargo sent a perfect alley oop to Hendrix for the dunk, then Eliyahu and team captain Derrick Sharp scored from the foul line to make it 91 – 62 with less than a minute on the clock. When time ran out, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv had won their 49^th Israeli league championship on a 91 – 64 victory over Hapoel Gilboa Galil.

Box Score:

Maccabi: Blu 19 points, 4 assists; Eidson 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists; Eliyahu 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists; Pnini 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals; Pargo 9 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals; Schortsanitis 9 points, 3 rebounds; Mačvan 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists; Hendrix 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal; Burstein 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists; Sharp 2 points.

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