Hapoel Gilboa Galil defeated Hapoel Holon 74-72 in a thriller as the Galilee team snatched away home court advantage and can finish off their best of three series on Wednesday night at Gan Ner. Avishay Gordon’s squad controlled the game from the get go, but CJ Harris and Willy Workman worked their magic to give Stefanos Dedas’s a late 72-71 lead. However, Gilboa went with Iftach Ziv’s hot hand down the stretch as the star guard put in a terrific basket to take the win.

Ziv led the way with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, Kerry Blackshear added 15 points and Jehyve Floyd scored 13 points in the win. Harris out in 19 points, Workman chipped in with 14 points while Nate Sestina scored 11 points in the defeat.

Jehyve Floyd energized Gilboa early with a layup and a pair of thundering dunks, but sharpshooting by Nate Sestina, Willy Workman and Michal Sokolowski helped Hapoel Holon to a 13-8 lead midway through the first quarter. Iftach Ziv, Amit Gershon and Yotam Hanochi punished the hosts from the outside while Kerry Blackshear scored on the inside for the visitors as grabbed a 23-18 lead after ten minutes.

Blackshear and Gershon opened the second quarter with 3-pointers to extend the Gilboa lead but CJ Harris hit his free throws and then drilled home a triple to pulled to within 30-27 with 6:41 remaining in the frame. Floyd put down another monster dunk, Ziv went from downtown and Joe Thomasson scored his first points of the game, but Sokolowski and De Zeeuw countered for Stefanos Dedas’s squad to keep pace, down by just one, 37-36 with 3:10 left in the half. Harris went from deep again but Floyd powered a pair of buckets inside to give Gilboa a 41-39 advantage at halftime.

Ziv slammed the ball home to get the third quarter underway, Netanel Artzi put points in off the glass and Ziv followed up with a nothing but net triple from the corner to bump up Gilboa’s lead to 49-43 midway through the period. Blackshear added points in the paint as did Ziv, Hanochi nailed a 3-pointer and Isaiah Cousins went in for a layup while Holon’s Joe Alexander and Frederic Bourdillon scored from the line but Avishay Gordon’s squad stayed in the lead 58-52 after thirty minutes.

Both teams had trouble getting their offense going to begin the fourth quarter as Gilboa kept the lead 59-53 with 6:19 left in regulation time. Sestina scored the first field goal of the frame and then added a corner 3-pointer, Gershon drilled one home at the other end of the court but points by Harris and Workman to move Holon to just 3-points down 67-64 with under two minutes remaining. Sokolowski drilled a triple, Workman went in for a layup and points, Ziv did the same for Gilboa, Harris took Blackshear to the hoop for a layup to go up 72-71 lead, but Ziv went back down the court, scored a layup and was fouled to take the 74-72 win.