Bnei Herzliya downed Hapoel Holon 87-76 as Elijah Stewart, DJ Burns and Max Heidegger poured in the points to take the win. Yehu Orland’s squad jumped out to a quick 18-3 lead as DJ Burns, Chinanu Onuaku and Elijah Stewart scored in bunches but fine play by Jordan McRae pulled Hapoel Holon back into the game but down 20-14 by the end of the first quarter. Adama Sanogo began to fill the basket, Stewart came back with points at the other end while McRae kept scoring as well to cut the Herzliya lead to 36-35 at halftime.

Stewart and Noah Carter along with Burns bumped the lead up, Sanogo and McRae tried to keep the hosts within reach but Max Heidegger closed out the third quarter strong to keep Herzliya ahead 63-57. Heidegger continued scoring in the final frame as Stewart kept piling in the points to close out the double digit victory. Stewart scored 25 points while Burns and Heidegger each scored 18 points in the loss.

Herzliya Head Coach Yehu Orland spoke about the win. “This was a very important win and we swept Holon which could be crucial in the standings as the season continues on. I was very happy as to how we played and how we went to the hoop as well as really taking advantage of the mismatches. Burns really helped open up our game and turned the focus on other okays as well. Now that he’s in shape he can really make an impact as he did by playing 32 minutes in this game.”

“This was not a good game from us and we weren’t focussed,” Hapoel Holon Head Coach Yoav Shamir began. “Herzliya has a lot of talent and were able to really hurt us in the one-on-one play. Basketball is a simple game but for things to work players have to be focussed when things are not going well and the ability to do simple things right. There are things here that are beyond basketball that are going on and we have to look at ourselves individually to see what we can do better and then look at ourselves as a team and how we can be better as a team.”

DJ Burns reflected on the win, “The game was interesting we fought hard and got the job done and closed it out at the end. Chief (Chinanu Onuaku) is an amazing player and person and learnt things from him and it’s an honor to play with him. Israel is beautiful place and the league here is at a higher level than where I was previously so it’s been great here so far.”

Adama Sanogo spoke passionately about the loss, “They were up by 15 points and I didn’t know what was going on. They gave us a pinch and we had to punch back. I feel we have to ask ourselves if we are playing the best we can on offense and in defense. We are not fighting we are doing everything the right way and we are practicing well, but this is not basketball. We are not playing hard and we can’t keep losing by 15-20 points. I hope we can figure it out before it’s too late.”