Maccabi Tel Aviv continued to win in Israeli league play with a 92-75 victory over Maccabi Ramat Gan. The yellow-and-blue jumped out to a first quarter lead with Wade Baldwin and Josh Nebo leading the way, but Alex Hamilton and Kendale McCullum started to score to keep the game close but Tamir Blatt, John Dibartolomeo and Roman Sorkin all scored in the final frame to pull away for the victory.

Blatt led the way with 18 points, Nebo added 15 points while Baldwin and Sorkin scored 14 points in the win. Hamilton scored 25 points and McCullum chipped in with 15 points in the loss.

“All in all we picked up an important win,” Maccabi head coach Oded Katash began. “We had the right energy and played good defense. We turned over the ball a bit o much in the first half and we weren’t focussed enough. They made some big baskets in the third quarter but in the last quarter we got to our spots to made our shots.”

“For the most part we were in the game without playing well,” Ramat Gan coach Shmulik Brenner said. “So on one side it was disappointing to lose but in the other we we there. We needed to open up a gap in the third quarter but then we started putting them on the line. We just weren’t good enough in this game.”

The game MVP Tamir Blatt talked about the victory, “I’m just trying to continue to be me, there are some days that things work out well and some not. I’m never going to give up and do the best that I can in every game. I’m happy that things came together in this game. I’ve been playing professional ball for decade and I’m 26 years old, so I’ve got some experience.”

Josh Nebo spoke about the victory, “Just playing hard and executing coach’s game plan and control what I can control. Physically, I’m fine, I’m taking care if my body. The amount of games is more mental as well as getting ready for a game every other day but I’m still young.”

Wade Baldwin put in a pair of buckets, Antonius Cleveland came off the basins with a monstrous dunk, John Dibartolomeo went from deep and Josh Nebo scored in the paint for Maccabi Tel Aviv while Karam Mashour and Kendale McCullum scored, but Joe Thomasson dialled up long distance for his first Maccabi points to give the hosts a 18-10 lead after ten minutes of play,

Alex Hamilton dropped a triple and a dunk to begin the second quarter, Tamir Blatt came back from deep, Hamilton continued to score, Nebo went to the hoop with authority for a pair of buckets, Blatt again went from downtown, Hamilton and McCullum came right back with steals good for buckets while JP Tokoto hit a jumper and a 3-point play, to tie the game up at 41-41 at halftime.

Cleveland and Dibartolomeo both hit jumpers to get the 3rd quarter underway, Benayahu Srur scored, Baldwin drilled home a 3-pointer, Isaiah Miles did the same at the other end, Baldwin put in a 3-point play as didn’t Miles but Maccabi stayed in front 54-53 midway through the period. Hamilton and Tokoto scored inside, Hamilton scored a pair over Dibartolomeo, Blatt did the same over Karam Mashour and Roman Sorkin found points to keep the yellow-and-blue ahead 68-65 after thirty minutes or action.

Ariel dropped a deuce to get the fourth quarter underway while Thomasson immediately responded, Miles and Blatt traded baskets, Menco and Sorkin scored, McCullum came back with points, Sorkin scored three straight baskets, Dibartolomeo put in a 3-point play and Nebo dunked to finish off the win.