The Israel Winner League opened up the season with a full slate of games which saw Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv win their contests as well as Maccabi Ramat Gan and Hapoel Galil Elyon.

In the capital city, Hapoel Jerusalem cruised past Nes Ziona 79-65 as Jared Harper supplied the offense and Roy Paretzky took care of the defense to help the reds to the victory. Yonatan Alon’s squad took an early lead and never looked back as Khadeen Carrington, Justin Smith, Nimrod Levi along with Harper scored in double digits while Desi Rodriguez and Kasey Shepherd countered for the visitors. Harper scored 17 points, Smith put in 15 points as Carrington scored 11 points in the win while Rodriguez and Shepherd scored 16 points each in the loss.

“We started the game a bit slowly,” Hapoel Jerusalem Head Coach Yonatan Alon began. “But once we started pressuring the ball, we got into the game defensively. This was a good lesson, that no matter who we’re playing against, if we don’t play the right way, we won’t look good. When we take responsibility and execute things properly, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is.”

Nes Ziona bench boss Amit Sherf talked about the defeat, “Defensively, in terms of toughness and everything, we gave a full forty minutes but we needed to try to control the game a bit more. There were several moments where we played too fast or too slow and we let them build some momentum. Offensively, you have to avoid turnovers and not take tough shots that’s how you prevent the other team from gaining momentum. That’s what won the game for Jerusalem.”

Nimrod Levi spoke about the win, “It’s a great feeling, it’s fun to play a home game at the Arena. I think the whole team was looking forward to it. I think the start of the game wasn’t so good for us, but we’re still enjoying ourselves and with time, it will get better.”

Kasey Shepherd gave his thoughts on the contest, “We are aiming for top 6, and to compete for every competition we are in and we have a lot of new guys, so we’re still trying to get to know the team and play style.”

At Yad Eliyahu, Hapoel Tel Aviv overwhelmed Kiryat Ata 97-82 as half a dozen players scored in double digits for the Reds in the home win other open the season. Tyler Ennis paced Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad but Kiryat Ata pulled to within 3-points midway through the 3rd quarter, however, Iftach Ziv, Itay Segev and Tai Odiase helped close out the victory. Ennis scored 18 points as Odiase and Ziv each scored 14 points in the win while Malik Hall scored 17 points and Jemaya Neal put in 11 points in the loss.

Hapoel Tel Aviv bench boss Dimitrios Itoudis spoke about the game, “We had a pretty good game we could have sustained more aggressively on defense but we were a bit nonchalant, but they need to be congratulated as well. The deep roster is what it is and we have to sustain and bring results.”

“In the third quarter we kind of lost the handle on the game,” Kiryat Ata Head Coach Eldad Bentov said. “We fell asleep as they had a big run, but we battled all the way to the end. There were some questionable calls that didn’t go our way but we have to keep working on our play. We wanted to to win veery game and every practice.”

Tyler Ennis spoke about the win and his time with the club thus far, “It felt good to get out there and it’s a good experience to play in front of the fans. We wanted to come out with the win and build on that. This time around for me there are some returning players, some different but same vibe. I am happy to be back and we have some goals. As for the Euroleague, everyone knows our roster is deep and I have to stay ready.”

In the day’s first game, Maccabi Ramat Gan knocked off Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion 84-67 as Ronaldo Segu paced the hosts to the win. Adam Ariel, Isaiah Eisendorf, Joirdan Nicholas and Segu helped Shmulik Brenner’s team to get off to a hot start as Marcus Williams and Khalil Ahmad tried to keep the game close, but more points from Segu along with Jordan Floyd and Gil Beni closed out the victory. Segu scored 19 points, Floyd added 15 points and Eisendorf scored 12 points in the win as Ahmad scored 20 points and Williams chipped in with 14 points in the loss.

Following the win, Ramat Gan Head Coach Shmulik Brenner said, “We live in a crazy country and there are things much bigger than basketball, so we really hope that tomorrow will be a good day for the country and that the soldiers and hostages will come home.

“As for the game, we started a month ago with just seven players in practice and it was hard to believe we could compete at a high level. We play basketball for the competition, those moments when the crowd is here, the cameras and lights are on. On the other hand, as a coach, you’re always looking at the potential. I don’t think we played particularly well and in terms of team offense, we’re far from where we want to be.”

Jordan Floyd added, “It feels good in Israel. Every time you come to a team and can contribute to a win, it feels great. The coach and teammates trust me. Every time you play with a team, the goal is a championship. Let’s take this as far as we can.”

Up north at Kfar Blum, Hapoel Galil Elyon downed Hapoel HaEmek 75-65 as the hosts took an early lead and never looked back to notch the win. Jaylen Blakes scored 19 points, DeAndre Gholston added 14 points and Shachar Amir scored 11 points in the win while Niv Misgav scored 17 points and Kyler Edwards and Elijah Childs each scored 13 points in the loss.