Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 90-80 to punch their ticket to the Israel State Cup Final where they will meet Bnei Herzliya on Thursday night in a one game winner take all matchup. J’Covan Brown started off slow but once the star guard warmed up, Brown dropped 30 points every which way possible to drive Danny Franco’s club to the 10-point victory.

Josh Owens scored at will from the inside to keep the Reds close over the first frame while Scottie Wilbekin paced Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s squad. However, Egor Koulechov hit a last gasp 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to put the Reds in front 45-44. Brown and James Young came out of the break on fire as they began to hit their shots from beyond the arc while Owens and Idan Zalmanson also found points inside to sew up the win and send the Reds to Final for the first time since 1994. back in that season the Reds fell to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the title match, however, the previous year in 1993 they defeated Hapoel Givatayim to take home the trophy.

Hapoel have beaten Maccabi three times this season for the first time since 1969 as they have won twice in league play and now once in State Cup action.

Brown led the way with 30 points, Josh Owens added 15 points, James Young scored 14 points and Idan Zalmanson chipped in with 10 points in the win. Wilbekin paced Maccabi with 23 points, Keenan Evans added 16 points and Khyri Thomas scored 11 points in the loss.

“We came here after beating Maccabi twice and I had never been on this situation before,” Hapoel coach Danny Franco said following the win. “I have to give credit to the players and we scored some really easy baskets in the first half but we also gave up a lot of points. I told the players at halftime to just go back to playing our basketball in the second half and when we did I knew we would win this game. We really prepared well with new ideas and to beat Maccabi three times is something really great. Hapoel Tel Aviv is the better team.”

“We deserved a better result after the first half,” Maccabi coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos said. “But we made two mistakes on defense which gave them a chance to score two 3-pointers and take the lead. We spoke about playing better on defense at the half and we didn’t do that and we missed about four layups under the rim. We pressed and tried to do the best and this is a bad loss for our club, we all know what this loss is for the club.”

Reds big man Idan Zalmanson reflected on the win, “It’s really amazing. We didn’t play great in the first half but we played aggressively and that is what kept us in the game. The second half saw us score and make some big shots to take the win.”

Maccabi captain John Dibartolomeo spoke about the loss from his point of view, “It’s frustrating and disappointing for us. The first half was back and forth and they controlled the second half. Our defense wasn’t up to our standards and it wasn’t lack of effort but we weren’t making them uncomfortable. They made plays and they scored 90 points so I can’t say we did our job.”

Khyri Thomas started the game off with a bang for Maccabi Tel Aviv as the swingman drilled a triple while Ante Zizic and Roman Sorkin scored inside to give the Yellow & Blue an early 13-5 lead midway through the first quarter. Josh Owens put in a quartet of baskets for Hapoel Tel Aviv including a thundering one handed dunk, Scottie Wilbekin put in a layup and then added a triple from way out, Sorkin grabbed an offensive board for points but Bar Timor nailed a long distance 3-pointer to keep Hapoel close as Maccabi stayed in front 25-22 after ten minutes of play.

Oz Blayzer dropped the first field goal of the second quarter, JP Tokoto matched him at the other end while Angelo Caloairo went into the paint to score his first points of the game as Maccabi bumped their lead up to 32-25 with 6:14 remaining in the first half. J’Covan Brown and Tokoto scored for Hapoel while Egor Koulechov added a 3-pointer and Owens put down another dunk to tie the game up at 34-34 with four minutes left in the period. Zizic scored off a rebound, Brown went from downtown but so did Keenan Evans and Wilbekin, however, Koulechov heaved a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give the Reds a slim 45-44 lead.

Sorkin led off the third quarter with a mega dunk, Brown came right back and put in baseline floater, Zalmanson hit a midrange jumper as Brown and Young drilled a 3-pointers to give Danny Franco’s squad a 55-47 lead. Sorkin scored an and-1 in the paint, Brown took his own rebound and put in a floater in the lane, Zalmanson scored in the paint and Brown hit a step back to put Hapoel up 65-56 after thirty minutes of action.

Young began the fourth quarter with a basket in the paint, Owens tipped the ball in and then dunked while Thomas out in a layup at the other end and Wilbekin went from deep but Hapoel stayed in front 73-65 with 4:12 remaining in regulation time. Brown once again took the game in himself with a deuce and a triple, Young nailed a corner 3-ball, Thomas responded but Brown went in for a layup and-one and added free throws to send Hapoel Tel Aviv to the State Cup final where they will face Bnei Herzliya.