By Amy Samin

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv shocked Caja Laboral 83 – 81 thanks to a clutch shot by Jeremy Pargo with 1.3 seconds left on the clock. With the best of five series tied at 1 – 1, the teams move to Tel Aviv for the next two games. Sofoklis Schortsanitis had an outstanding game, scoring 22 points, and David Blu contributed 18, including four crucial buckets from outside the arc. After the game, head coach David Blatt thanked the dozens of fans who waited for him outside the arena.

Blatt started the game off with Jeremy Pargo, Lior Eliyahu, Chuck Eidson, Doron Perkins, and Sofoklis Schortsanitis. They faced off against Marcelinho Huertas, Mirza Teletovic, Fernando San Emeterio, Brad Oleson, and Stanko Barac. Once again the Spaniards looked good in the opening minutes, enjoying points from most of their starters, while Maccabi looked primarily to Sofo at the start of the period. He obliged by scoring 9 points in the first five minutes, making it 13 – 9 in favor of the home team. Pargo scored from under the basket, and dished to Sofo, who racked up another basket and fought ferociously on defense, forcing a shot clock violation on Caja Laboral. Four straight points from Richard Hendrix (a layup and a huge two handed dunk, both assists by Guy Pnini) put Maccabi within two, 19 – 17 with a minute and a half in the quarter. Pnini tied the score on a fastbreak, but a three-pointer from Teletovic at the buzzer closed out the period with the Spaniards leading 22 – 19.

The teams traded baskets in the early minutes of the second quarter, with two-pointers by Perk and Sofo answered by threes from San Emeterio and David Logan. After three minutes, the hosts led 30 – 23. Eidson, Sofo and Pnini kept Maccabi close, but a huge bomb from downtown by Logan extended the Spaniards’ lead to 40 – 29 with three and a half minutes left in the half. Pargo and Sofo didn’t let the home team break away, but San Emeterio and Esteban Batista scored from the charity stripe to maintain the lead. A bucket by Perk at the buzzer sent the teams into halftime with Maccabi trailing by eight, 46 – 38.

Four quick points from Sofo and Blu at the start of the third quarter put Maccabi within four, 46 – 42, but Logan delivered another three-pointer to give Caja Laboral some breathing room. Nearly three minutes into the period, Blu delivered Maccabi’s first three of the game, scoring from the top of the arc to make it a two point game, 51 – 49. In a sequence classic to this year’s model of Maccabi, a block by Hendrix led to a steal by Pargo which was translated into a dunk by Perk at the other end to tie the score at 51. Caja Laboral responded, but a give-and-go between Hendrix and Pargo resulted in a dunk by the latter to retie the score at 53 with five and a half minutes left in the period. But every time Maccabi tied the score, the home team replied. Points by Pnini off the glass on the inbounds made it 58 – 57 but Batista scored at the other end to put the hosts up by three. Blu scored again from the top of the arc to make it 60 all, then drained a catch-and-shoot (assist Pnini) to give Maccabi their first lead of the game, 63 – 62 with a minute and a half remaining in the period. The Spaniards soon retook the lead, but a layup by Pargo kept Maccabi close, and the quarter ended with the hosts clinging to a one point lead, 66 – 65.

Sofo tied the score at 66 from the foul line, but then fouled out of the game. Batista gave his team five straight points and some breathing room, while Maccabi was unable to score from the field for the first five minutes of the period. Points by Blu (assist Eidson) broke the ice, making it 73 – 68. Eliyahu scored twice in quick succession to make it 75 – 72 with three and a half minutes remaining in the game, then Blu came through with yet another huge three (assist Perkins) to tie it at 75. Blu then answered points by Huertas with another bucket on a fastbreak to retie things at 77. The hosts scored and retook the lead, 81 – 77 with just over a minute left. Eliyahu’s basket and one brought Maccabi within one, 81 – 80, and Pargo tied things from the free throw line with half a minute remaining. Just as the fans thought the game would go to overtime, a Pargo-licious mid-range jumper with 1.3 seconds on the clock gave Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv an 83 – 81 victory over Caja Laboral, and sent the teams to Tel Aviv with the series even at 1 – 1.

Box Score:

Maccabi: Schortsanitis 22 points; Blu 18 points (4 of 8 from three point range); Pargo 13 points, 8 rebounds; Perkins 10 points; Eliyahu 7 points; Pnini 6 points, 5 rebounds; Hendrix 4 points; Eidson 2 points; Mačvan 2 points.

Caja Laboral: Batista and San Emeterio 17 points each; Teletovic 16 points; Huertas 13 points; Logan 12 points; Barac 6 points.

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