Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel HaEmek 84-65 on Saturday at the Toto Arena in Holon in the semifinal of the Winner Cup and advanced to the final, where they will meet Hapoel Jerusalem. The Reds got off to a good start but HaEmek grabbed a 36-27 lead early in the second quarter, however, Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad went on a 21-0 run in less than 5 minutes on the way to a as they took a 48-36 lead and never looked back.

Dan Otoru excelled with 20 points, 8 rebounds and a 30 efficiency index, Ish Wainwright scored 15 points and Antonio Blakeney added 13 points while Vasilije Micic put in 10 and 6 assists alongside 6 turnovers in the win. Cameron Henry’s 17 points including a 3-pointer from half court at the end of the first quarter, were not enough.

Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Dimitris Itoudis said, “I want to congratulate the team on reaching the final and winning the game. Congratulations to the opponent too, they are serious, they put up a fight, but with all due respect to them it was because of our negligence on the attack. The momentum of 21-0 run for us made the difference.”

Hapoel HaEmek coach Sharon Avrahami concluded, “We had a very good 15-16 minutes, we played according to plan, we made stops and led. We then got a little tired, we shot 10/16 in the first half but later on we weren’t shooting well at all. The big goal for us is to get to Europe next year, finish in 1st to 6th place.”

Dan Otoru spoke at the postgame press conference, answering a question from the “Sports Rabbi” about whether he feels that the fact that Hapoel Tel Aviv did not play against Euroleague teams during the preparation period might hurt the start of the European season.

“We play against other basketball players and we are there to compete, these are players who want to be at the Euroleague level or at the highest level. Ultimately, they have to lace up their shoes just like we have to lace up ours, so it’s not something I think about.”

Lucas Goldenberg, who recorded 8 points, 6 rebounds and 15 in the efficiency index, said, “I think we did a good job in the first half, especially in the first 15 minutes. With teams like that, if we want to get to the next level, you have to stay focused for forty minutes or even more because they can punish you. We have to take the positives.”