Hapoel Tel Aviv downed a game Kiryat Ata 96-95 as the hosts held on for dear life at the end of the game to dispose of the pesky Krayot squad. Antonio Blakeney and Patrick Beverley got Stefanos Dedas’s team rolling early on but superb play by JJ Kaplan, Chavaughn Lewis and Chris Smith gave Eldad Bentov’s team a 65-64 lead midway through the third quarter.

Bruno Caboclo and Marcus Foster scored in bunches to give the reds a double digit lead but Lewis, Smith and Raz Adam pulled the game to within striking range in the dying seconds. However, Ish Wainright’s put-back dunk gave Hapoel enough separation to snatch the win after Lewis’s last gasp shot at the buzzer came up short.

Next up for the Reds is a EuroCup clash against Trefoil Sopot in Poland on Tuesday night while Kiryat Ata will visit Nes Ziona on Friday afternoon.

Blakeney scored 19 points, Foster added 17 points and Caboclo chipped in with 14 points in the win. Lewis scored 22 points, Smith put in 19 points and Kaplan scored 18 points in the loss.

Hapoel Tel Aviv Head Coach Stefanos Dedas did not attend the post game press conference after owner Ofer Yannay told the bench boss to leave following his halftime comments about bringing in a coach to work alongside the Greek tactician. Yannay didn’t want Dedas to have to answer questions about what he had said on television about the coaching situation and his status with the club.

“The last two days we really worked with the players to make sure we had a good game here and that’s what we did,” Kiryat Ata head coach Eldad Bentov said. “We fell behind early but we came back and made it a game with a lot of character and effort. The referees didn’t want to make the call at the end of the game and didn’t have the guts to do so but that’s what it is. Ultimately we should be very proud as to the job we did in this game.”

Marcus Foster spoke about the victory from his point of view, “We got lazy on defense and they struggled shooting in the first half as they made their shots later on in the game. We have to focus on the goal and put the pressure on. I look at this win as one that is disappointing to the fans and we should have out on a better show. But it’s all about being patient and having a proper daily routine.”

Chris Smith also spoke about the game and his decision to come and play in Israel during a war, “It was a winnable game and we were down by double digits near the end but we didn’t quit and it shows so much about the guys. It was a tough decision to come here and I had to put a lot of thought into it but my teammates have been great. I had reached out JJ Kaplan and other players about what was going on in the country but I am happy I’m out here and I hope I can help the team win some games.”

Antonio Blakeney and Patrick Beverley went from deep to open the game for Hapoel Tel Aviv, Chris Smith scored for Kiryat Ata but more points from Tomer Ginat on the inside and Guy Palatin on the outside gave the history a 16-6 lead midway through the first quarter. Akia Pruitt and JJ Kaplan tried to keep the visitors close, but Blakeney added a pair of baskets, Marcus Foster hit two 3-pointers as Ish Wainright and Bar Timor also went from deep to give the hosts a 35-17 lead after ten minutes of play.

Chavaughn Lewis led off the second quarter with a pair from downtown, Foster hit one from deep as well while Kaplan and Pruitt scored to cut the lead down to 42-32 with five minutes left in the half. Kaplan, Raz Adam and Smith all scored is quick succession, Blakeney stopped the run from deep, Beverley put in a 3-point play, Smith matched him at the other end but the Reds took a 54-45 lead into halftime.

Blakeney hit a jumper to get the third quarter underway, Lewis went in for a layup, Ginat added a pair of buckets, Kaplan went from the outside, inside and then outside once again, Smith added points, Silvio De Sousa scored off the glass to give Kiryat Ata a 65-64 lead but Caboclo answered from deep while Foster and Timor scored for a quick 9-0 run gave the reds a 73-66 lead after thirty minutes of action.

Foster dunked to begin the fourth quarter, Caboclo added a 3-point play and then a deuce, Noam Yaacov hit a jumper over De Sousa, Adam nailed a a corner 3-ball as did Foster at the other end, Lewis kept scoring, Smith added a 3-point play and added a triple but a put back dunk by Wainright gave Hapoel just enough breathing room to take the win.