Hapoel Eilat just got by Nes Ziona 87-84 thanks to Casey Prather’s 21 point and 12 rebonds to lead the Red Sea City squad to the win in Balkan League action. Ariel Beit Halachmi’s Eilat controlled the game for the majority of the 40 minutes while Brad Greenberg’s team showed moments in which they were the superior side but it wasn’t to be at the Lev HaMoshava Arena. In addition to Prather’s double-double Josh Nebo clocked in with one of his own as the rookie center scored 13 points and added 14 boards, Joe Ragland added 13 points while Markel Brown chipped in with 11 and Ben Carter with 10 in the victory. Kwan Cheatham led Nes Ziona with 19 points, Patrick Miller had 18 thanks to 4 triples and Davion Berry scored 15 in the loss. Nes Ziona’s record dropped to 0-3 while Eilat sits atop of Group C with a 2-1 record.

Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion defeated Hapoel Beer Sheva 89-85 as Golan Gutt starred with 31 points in the victory for Guy Goodes squad. Isaiah Taylor scored 21 points, Darryl Monroe clocked in with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, Akil Mitchell chipped in with 15 points while Noam Dovrat had 6 points, 6 boards and 8 assists in the win. Eric Griffin led Rami Hadar’s team with 20 points and 10 rebonds, Travis Warech added 17 and Caleb Agada scored 12 in the defeat. Rishon sports a 2-1 record while Beer Sheva is at the bottom of Group D with a 0-3 record.

“I’m just happy to win,” said Gutt. “We got ourselves together in the second half and we played well. This was an important win for us.”

Hapoel Tel Aviv dunked Bnei Herzliya 77-67 as Yam Madar returned to action for the Reds who scored 15 points while adding 5 assists for Ioannis Kastritis’s squad. Reggie Upshaw scored 15 points and added 9 rebounds while Walter Lemon chipped in with 13. Jakim Donaldson led Sharon Drucker’s team with 15 points and 10 boards and Kendall Anthony added 15 points in the defeat. Hapoel are 2-1 in Group A play while Bnei Herzliya are 1-2.

“We dominated the game from the first moment,” Madar reflected. “We put a lot of emphasis on defense but we still need to improve in order to reach our expectations.”

Nahariya dropped Maccabi Haifa 87-81 as Kalın Lucas led the way with 25 points for Danny Franco’s team in the win as Roman Sorkin’s career night with 29 points and 9 rebounds were canceled out by the northern squad. Dominic Waters made his Israeli return with 18 points, Jaron Blossomgame added 12 points and 9 rebounds while big man Devon Scott scored 12 points and chipped in with 8 assists in the win. In addition to Sorkin’s 29 points, Donta Smith scored 9 points added 13 rebonds and 9 assists while Chris Dowe scored 17 points for Daniel Seoane’s team in the loss. Nahariya are 2-1 in Group B action while Haifa is 0-3.

“I feel good that we won,” Lucas commented. “As far as my shooting, I took what the defense gave me. Overall we have a good team and a good mix of veteran and younger players. We try to get better every game.”