Hapoel Holon fell 100-96 to AEK Athens in a thrilling game as the Israeli squad opened up their Champions League campaign for 2020/21. AEK got off to a great start with Keith Langford leading the way but Holon came storming back as CJ Harris matched the sharp shooter point for point through the first half. Stefanos Dedas’s team kept pace through the second half, but an 11-0 AEK run put the hosts ahead with Langford hitting every clutch shot to take the 4-point victory.

Keith Langford led all scorers with 30 points, Yanick Moreira added 18 points and 10 rebounds while Nikos Gkikas notched 15 points and 9 assists in the win. CJ Harris was Holon’s main man with 27 points, Guy Pnini and Chris Johnson each scored 14 points while Isaiah Miles chipped in with 12 points in the loss.

AEK came out strong to start the game and jumped to a 19-7 lead midway through the first quarter as veteran guard Keith Langford, Yanick Morreira and Nikos Gkikas were on fire but CJ Harris pulled Holon back to within 3-points, 24-21 after ten minutes of play.

Guy Pnini drilled home a triple to begin the second quarter and Frederic Bourdillon quick scored a half a dozen points and Isaiah Miles nailed a 3-pointer to give Stefanos Dedas’s squad a 38-27 advantage with 6:19 remains in the first half. Chris Johnson got busy for Holon but Langford continued to fill the basket

Langord and Moreira continued to find the bucket while Johnson, Miles and Bourdillon did the same at the other end as Holon continued to stay in first 65-64 midway through the third quarter. Bourdillon hit his free throws as did Pnini while Gkikas kept pace for AEK but the visitors took a 76-75 lead into the final frame.

AEK ripped off a 11-0 run as Nikos Rogkavopoulos began scoring at will in the fourth quarter but Pnini scored another big shot from beyond the arc to keep pace down 86-82 with 5:05 remaining in regulation. Langford with free throws and a triple for AEK were countered by Tyrus McGee who began to heat up but Langford yet again scored a triple to go up 95-90 with 1:40 left. However, another Langford 3-pointer and free throws by Nikos Zizis sealed up the 100-96 win for AEK.

3-Pointers
1) Holon played a spirited game against a high quality opponent and can leave Greece holding their heads high as to the way they competed and matched AEK but the Athens based squad was just that much better as they took the 4-point win. Losing by only 4 points could be make a big difference later on as point differential may play a factor in deciding who finishes in second place which is a realistic goal for Holon. Coach Dedas spoke about keeping the loss a minimal one when he took his final timeout, “I wanted to keep it close because AEK could finish in first place and if we will be fighting for second it could be important. There are only 5 games left and the point differential could be important.”

2) Coach Dedas knew that Keith Langford was going to cause problems and that is exactly what happened, he caused one problem for Holon after the next. If AEK was without the scorer, Holon could have easily walked away with the win. Langford was like the Energizer Bunny who kept on going and going and going. His battery never dies. 30 points in 28 minutes with clutch shot after clutch shot including they dagger 3 with 25 seconds left on the clock to sew up the game. “Both teams could have won the game,” explained Dedas. “We had more quality in our game than AEK with all due respect but we know they have quality and we prepared for Langford at the end as we knew it would be close. He shot and he scored.” CJ Harris also summed up the game, “Both teams played hard and we made a few mistakes on defense and they capitalized. That was the game pretty much.” Short and to the point.

3) Langford is never someone to shy away from taking a shot and that has been his mantra throughout his career at every stop he’s made. And you know what? That is what has made him successful throughout his career. From Kansas University to Maccabi Tel Aviv, from Kazan to Milano to Panathinaikos and now to AEK the guard just doesn’t stop putting the ball into the basket. He’s star but a modest one to boot. Langford spoke about not being afraid to shoot the basketball and why he is the player he is today, “You have to be willing to miss and I have no fear to miss. I am not afraid and when you take the risk you’ll win. When you aren’t afraid you can accomplish a lot.” Pretty interesting words from the lethal assassin. But he’s correct as the old saying goes you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

One more note about Langford. He gave a huge amount of credit to youngster, 19-year old Nikos Rogkavopoulos who played some huge, huge minutes for AEK especially at the start of the fourth quarter when he scored a bunch of points while also recording a key steal. “I want to shout out to Rogan for his energy that he brought when we really needed it. He was also at the top of our team’s plus/minus with a +18.

Overtime
There was also Israel State Cup action as teams throughout the country began the hunt for the coveted trophy as the winners moved on to the Round of 16.

Maccabi Haifa slipped by Hapoel Afula 78-76 as Leumit squad almost shocked the Greens. Chris Dowe led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds, Avi Ben Chimol added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists while Alex Chubrevich scored 11 points in the win. Jimmy Hall was the man for Afula with 22 points and 17 rebounds.

Hapoel Beer Sheva demolished Kiryat Ata 89-59 to advance to the next round as Eric Griffin led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Youngster Amit Suss scored 16 points in arguably his best game as a professional while Caleb Agada added 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Elijah Hirsch led Kiryat Ata with 13 points in the defeat.

Hapoel Eilat sunk Ashkelon 83-75 to move on in the competition as Casey Prather scored 21 points and added 13 rebounds while Joe Ragland chipped in with 20 points in the win and Josh Nebo checked in with 17 points and 13 boards in the win. Alonzo Coleman and Paul Delaney each notched 16 points in the loss.

Hapoel Acre defeated Maccabi Ramat Gan 89-70, Ramat HaSharon topped Hevel Modiin 80-67 while Netanya got by Motzkin 75-70.