By Amy Samin

Raviv Limonad, Guy Pnini, Andrew Wisniewski, Alan Anderson and D’or Fischer started the game for Maccabi, while Leo Lyons, Yuval Naimi, Uri Kokia, Tre Simmons and Dijon Thompson opened for Hapoel.

The first two minutes of the game belonged to Fish, who scored two dunks and a mid-range jumper in that time.
He was joined on the scoreboard by Limonad and Anderson, and three minutes into the quarter Maccabi led 11 – 5.
Hapoel went on an 8 – 0 run to retake the lead, but two successive three pointers from Pnini, plus a free throw, put Maccabi up 18 – 15 with three and a half minutes left in the period.
Kokia tossed in a mini hook shot to keep the home team close, but another dunk from Fischer and a slick bucket from outside the arc by Pnini gave Maccabi some breathing room, 23 – 19 with two and a half on the clock.
Brandon Hunter tied the game from the charity stripe and a shot at the buzzer by Yogev Ohayon put Hapoel up at the end of the first quarter, 25 – 23.

Fischer scored at the start of the second quarter and tied the score, then a spin-and-shoot by David Bluthenthal put the lead back in Maccabi’s hands.
Hunter and company responded, and the score continued to trade hands for the first five and a half minutes of the period.
Chuck Eidson, who had not played in the last few games, drained a nice trey from the corner to tie the score at 30 and Perkins scored from the foul line, but Hapoel retook the lead with four and a half minutes left in the period and kept it for awhile.
Lasme scored from under the basket to put Maccabi within two, 39 – 37, then Doron Perkins smacked down a shot attempt by Kokia.
Pnini scored off a fast break to tie the score, but Hapoel answered.
With under a minute and a half in the quarter, Bluthenthal scored off the glass to bring Maccabi even, then Pnini scored the go-ahead shot from outside the arc.
Two from the line by Perkins closed out the half with Maccabi leading, 46 – 41.

The second half opened with Thompson channeling for Madame Guillotine, trying to separate Pnini’s head from his body, which resulted in an unsportsmanlike charge against the Hapoel forward.
Limonad scored from the corner to put Maccabi up 50 – 41 a minute into the period.
Fish and Anderson also scored, but it was a bomb by Wiz at the top of the arc that put Maccabi up by eleven, 59 – 48, at the halfway mark in the quarter.
Hapoel then scored seven unanswered points to come within four, 59 – 55 with just over three minutes left on the clock.
The teams traded baskets for the next few minutes, but Maccabi kept the lead throughout the quarter until the final seconds, when Pooh Jeter scored from the foul line to put the hosts up by one, 68 – 67.

Hapoel scored first in the fourth quarter, but a fade away by Bluthenthal cut their lead in half after a minute and a half.
Seconds later, it was also Blu who tied the score at 72 with a catch and shoot from the corner.
Anderson grabbed a putback of his own shot to give Maccabi the lead, 74 – 72 with three minutes gone.
Thompson tied it from the charity stripe, but Anderson scored the go-ahead shot from the corner and Maccabi never looked back.
They tightened up on defense as well, forcing a shot clock violation on the hosts.
Halfway through the quarter Anderson scored a stop and pop from the left side off one of Perkins’ seven assists on the night to put Maccabi up by nine, 83 – 74.
Hapoel fought to come back, but Maccabi was in the groove and never let the home team come closer than five.
When time ran out Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv had taken their 20^th victory in the Winner League, this time over Hapoel Jerusalem, 94 – 87.

Box Scores

Maccabi: Pnini 23 points; Anderson 17, 5 assists; Fischer 16, 10 rebounds; Bluthenthal 12 points, 7 rebounds; Perkins 11 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists;
Limonad 5 points 6 assists; Lasme 4 points; Eidson and Wisniewski 3 points each.

Hapoel: Jeter 18 points; Lyons 17 points; Hunter and Thompson 11 points each; Shason 10 points; Simmons 9 points; Ohayon 6 points; Naimi 3 points; Kokia 2 points.

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