By Amy Samin

Maccabi wrapped up the second round of the Lotto League season with a 100 – 86 victory over Maccabi Haifa, just days before they face European champions Barcelona at Nokia Arena on Thursday.
Lior Eliyahu continued to demonstrate his excellent abilities, leading all scorers for Maccabi with 22 points.
David Blu was exceptional from three-point range, and Milan Mačvan and Richard Hendrix did an excellent job filling in for Sofoklis Schortsanitis.

Guy Pnini, Jeremy Pargo, Doron Perkins, Hendrix and Eliyahu started the game for Maccabi, facing off against Germaine Jackson, Frank Robinson, Sylven Landesberg, Marco Killingsworth, and Robert Rothbart.
Maccabi got the game off to a good start with a huge one-handed dunk by Hendrix, but Haifa and Rothbart soon responded, taking a 6 – 4 lead.
Pnini scored from downtown to return the advantage to Maccabi, but the bearded center from Haifa continued to score; halfway through the first quarter the home team led 11 – 9.
A three from the top of the arc by co-captain Tal Burstein, which he followed with points off a fast-break (assist Pargo) put a stop to Haifa’s run and Maccabi within three points, 17 – 14 with two minutes left in the period.
Mačvan delivered a classic hook shot in the paint, but the period ended with Haifa up by 8, 24 – 16.

The second quarter got underway with two from the foul line by David Blu and a drive to the basket by Perk that put Maccabi within six, 26 – 20 two minutes into the period.
Robinson scored a bucket and one which were answered by points from Eliyahu (including a dunk off an assist from Chuck Eidson) and points from the charity stripe; just past the five minute mark Maccabi had narrowed the deficit to a single point, 31 – 30.
A couple of minutes later, two more free throws from Perk gave Maccabi the lead, 35 – 34.
Another dunk by Eliyahu and a pair of baskets by Mačvan (both off assists from Perk) gave Maccabi some breathing room, 41 – 35 with less than two minutes left in the half.
Pnini scored under the basket, and more points from the foul line gave Maccabi a 46 – 35 lead, not to mention 13 assists and 27 rebounds, going into halftime.

The teams traded baskets at the start of the third quarter, including a spin and in by Hendrix over Rothbart.
Perk scored from the NBA neighborhood of downtown to make it 51 – 40 after three minutes, but Haifa didn’t give up and points from Killingsworth, Rothbart, and Landesberg put the home team within seven, 55 – 48 halfway through the period.
A special delivery from the right corner by Blu (who was 4 of 6 from three-point range) kicked off a festival of treys by Maccabi (including a catch-and-shoot by Pnini from the right wing) that broke the game open and made it 67 – 54 with three minutes remaining in the period.
Mačvan scored on a fast break and Blu delivered his fourth from outside the arc to set the score at 72 – 56.
Landesberg’s efforts kept Haifa from falling even father behind; as time ran out on the quarter Maccabi led 74 – 62.

Points by Eliyahu (assist Pnini) got things started in the final period, but were soon answered by a bucket and one from Killingsworth.
Eliyahu scored again, and a three from the top of the key by Pargo made it 83 – 65 after two and a half minutes.
Killingsworth scored again, and Rothbart (who finished the game with a double-double) added a basket and one, but was answered by points from Hendrix (assist Pnini) that made it 85 – 69.
Eidson, who also had a good night, scored on a fast break and followed that with a dish to Eliyahu for a dunk that put Maccabi up by twenty, 89 – 69 midway through the quarter.
Killingsworth and Robinson scored for Haifa, but a catch-and-shoot by Eliyahu and a two-handed dunk from Hendrix kept the home team at a distance, 93 – 75.
Eidson slammed in another dunk and dished to Eliyahu; the latter scored again off an assist from team captain Derrick Sharp to make it 99 – 84.
Burstein at the foul line brought Maccabi to the century mark, and the game ended in a 100 – 86 victory for Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv over Maccabi Haifa.

Box Score:

Maccabi: Eliyahu 22 points; Blu 16 points (4 of 6 from three), 7 rebounds; Perkins 13 points, 7 rebounds; Mačvan 12 points, 5 rebounds; Hendrix 10 points, 5 rebounds; Eidson 9 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists; Pnini 8 points, 6 assists;
Burstein 7 points; Pargo 3 points, 8 assists.

“We were sweating for a few minutes, and that’s good,” concluded Maccabi’s head coach David Blatt after the game.
“It wasn’t one of our best games, but it’s important to know how to turn things around and not lose control.
We won’t have fond memories of this game, but the important thing is that we won.”

When asked about Sofoklis Schortsanitis’ absence from the game, the coach responded, “Sofo is one of our key players, but I think that the strength of our team is not in only one player, or even in only one coach.
Anyone can have an off day, and if they do, someone else will step up.
That’s why we’re a team.
The players deserve some rest before Thursday’s game [against Barcelona].

We need to be sharp but also fresh, and as is our custom we will prepare well.”
In the press conference after the game, the coach expressed his opinion of the League’s system of games: “The system makes the third round of games meaningless.”

Doron Perkins said, “That’s basketball.
You’ve got to play every game.
Haifa’s a good team and they started the game very well.
But we kept playing our game.”
Regarding Thursday’s game against the reigning European champions, the guard said, “We play hard in every game, it doesn’t matter if it’s Barcelona or Haifa.
We’re always going to do the best we can.”

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