After a long week off, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv returns to the court on Monday evening, going up against Hapoel Gilboa/Galil (19:20, Live on Sport5 - Channel 55) part of the 23rd Israeli Winner League fixture. Monday's contest is one of three away games left for the Yellow & Blue until the end of the second round, as Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad already secured the top spot in the standings heading into the third round of games.

Maccabi received encouraging news from Yovel Zoosman, who will return to the roster for the first time since suffering a partially torn lateral collateral ligament on his right knee, which occurred back in late February. Joining him to the game form are Elijah Bryant, Scottie Wilbekin, T.J Cline, Othello Hunter, Sandy Cohen, John DiBartolomeo, Oz Blayzer, Dori Sahar, Ante Zizic, Eidan Alber.



The northern opposition, led by Avishai Gordon, is one of the best teams in the domestic competition, sitting in third place with a 14:7 record. The Reds' biggest offensive threat comes from the hands of Kerry Blackshear, who's been averaging 14.7 points alongside 7.9 boards, while Joe Thomasson has been handling backcourt duties providing 13.8 points and 4.7 assists per games.

In the first meeting between the teams, Gilboa/Galil grabbed a 79:70 win over the Yellow & Blue on a Friday afternoon matchup, which later initiated an 8 game winning streak in the Winner League with an average win margin of 27.3 points. Throughout the years, Maccabi has dominated the head-to-head contest against the northern squad earning 73 victories compared to 19 Red wins.

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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.



Game Recap:

Maccabi started with Scottie Wilbekin, Elijah Bryant, Oz Blayzer, T.J Cline, and Ante Zizic, while Yiftach Ziv, Joe Thomasson, Netanel Artzi, Jehyve Floyd, and Kerry Blackshear opened for the Reds'.

Wilbekin shot in the Yellow & Blue's first five points of the night as Blackshear converted a and one play tying the game at 7. Yovel Zoosman came off the bench for his first minutes since late February dishing an assist to Wilbekin (3 three-pointers), who, with Bryant, were the primary producers for the visitors. The guards scored the final 11 of 14 points of the quarter, leading an 8:0 run to close out the first 10 minutes of the contest, 21:17.

Yotam Hanochi drove aggressively to the bucket and laid in two buckets, but Tyler Dorsey came off the bench and put the visitors' offense on his back, scoring 8 consecutive points, 29:23. 

John DiBartolomeo drove to the basket and found Hunter under the rim for a three-point play however, Gilboa/Galil responded by attacking the paint as a Benaya Srur layup led to a Sfairopoulos timeout, 34:32. Bryant drilled Maccabi's 7th three of the half as a Thomasson shot from behind the arc determined the first half score, 38:37.



Artzi and one layup flipped the score early in the third quarter, Wilbekin two-point jumper tied the contest at 42. The hosts shifted a gear defensively as the Israeli duo Ziv & Artzi led to a 17 unanswered point stretch giving the northern squad a 59:42 advantage.

Hunter stopped the run putting the Yellow & Blue on his back with 5 straight points, and Dorsey drilled a mid-range jumper, but Isaiah Cousins and Gil Benny kept a 16 point edge heading into the final 10 minutes, 53:69.

Hunter opened the quarter with a hard slam and a layup as a Dorsey steal led to an easy fastbreak dunk reducing the Reds edge to 12, setting an Avishai Gordon timeout, 59:71. The Yellow & Blue locked down defensively as Oz Blayzer scored two in the paint and Sandy Cohen from deep, completing an 11:0 run lowering the margin down to 7, 66:73.

Blackshear shifted the momentum with a triple on the 24-second shot clock, which initiated a 6:0 stretch ramping the edge back to double digits. Wilbekin tried to make a late comeback scoring 9 straight points, but Floyd grabbed a crucial offensive board and laid in two, giving the hosts 8 point advantage, which sealed the deal. Gilboa/Galil beats Maccabi 85:78.

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