Hapoel Tel Aviv picked up an important 95-89 win over Hapoel Jerusalem in the capital city as Justin Tillman starred for Danny Franco’s squad in the win. The Tel Aviv Reds jumped out to a 35-18 lead after the first quarter and despite losing both James Young and Tyrique Jones to injury they were able to hang on to the 7-point victory.

Tillman scored league high in points this season with 37 and added 10 rebounds, Yam Madar and James Young each added 12 points while newcomer Paul Stoll scoed 6 points and handed out 6 assists and Bar Timor in his return game to Jerusalem scored 7 points and dished out 7 assists in the win. Adam Ariel led the hosts with 20 points, Ray McCallum scored 18 points in his Jerusalem debut and Suleiman Braimoh also put in 18 points in the loss.

Ray McCallum scored the first points of the game for Hapoel Jerusalem but Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Justin Tillman scored points a plenty inside to take an early 13-5 first quarter lead. Danny Franco’s squad continued to pour it on as James Young drilled home a pair of triples and Tyrique Jones scored inside as Tashawn Thomas tried to keep Dainius Adomaitis’s team close but went down 35-18 after ten minutes.

Tillman continued to score from inside the paint but James Young went down in a heap and had to be helped off of the court in a tremendous amount of pain but the Tel Aviv Reds upped their lead to 44-22 with 6:54 left in the second quarter. McCallum, Kramer and Braimoh put in points but couldn’t make much of a dent as Franco’s squad went into halftime with a 57-36 advantage.

The third quarter began just as the previous frame did with Tillman scoring inside as Braimoh and Kramer found points but Hapoel Tel Aviv continued to lead 67-46 midway through the period. Daniel Koperberg scored a pair of buckets inside but McCallum went from deep and Stanton Kidd put down a dunk as the hosts cut the Tel Aviv advantage to 73-59 after thirty minutes.

Adam Ariel went from beyond the arc and Kidd added two buckets but Tillman kept scoring to keep Tel Aviv in front 80-69 with 5:21 left in the fourth quarter. Ariel scored from downtown and Thomas jammed the ball but Tillman answered with a dunk of his own at the other end but McCallum nailed a pair of triples and Ariel went for one as well to pull Jerusalem to within 90-85 with 1:15 remaining on the clock. However, Jonathan Mor scored off an inbounds play and Madar added a free throw to help Hapoel Tel Aviv to the win.

Hapoel Holon dunked Hapoel Beer Sheva 82-75 in Israel League play as Stefanos Dedas’s squad continued to win no matter what competition they are playing in. After returning to Israel following a dramatic Champions League victory over Pinar Karsiyaka in Turkey earlier in the week, Holon kept rolling along as the hosts took a 49-41 lead at halftime and led the advantage over the second half to notch the victory. Isaiah Miles once again came up big with 20 points, Chris Johnson added 18 points and Tyrus McGee chipped in with 12 points in the victory. Eric Griffin led Rami Hadar’s southern reds with 21 points, while Amir Bell and Amit Suss each scored 13 points in the loss. Immediately following the game, Holon extended Chris Johnson’s contract through the 2021/22 season.

Maccabi Haifa picked up a crucial 89-79 win over Bnei Herzliya as the Carmel Greens look to continue to move up the standings and out of the relegation zone. Both sides battled it out throughout the 40 minutes but Amit Ben David’s squad was able take the victory thanks to superb play by Chris Dowe with 23 points, Roman Sorkin’s 22 points and 10 rebounds, Michael Cobbins’s 16 points and 10 boards as well as 10 points and 11 assists by Kalin Lucas. Max Heidegger led Sharon Drucker’s team with 24 points in the loss.

Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion dropped struggling Hapoel Haifa 104-98 as star guard Jeremy Pargo scored 30 points to record the win. Golan Gutt and Darryl Monroe each scored 17 points for Guys Goodes team while Jason Siggers led the Carmel Reds with 25 points and Keenan Evans added 24 points in the loss.

Hapoel Gilboa Galil nipped Nes Ziona 92-89 in overtime as Kerry Blackshear with 34 points and 14 rebounds shined in the hard earned victory. The back and forth game headed to the extra season where Joe Thomasson supplemented Blackshear’s scoring with clutch free throws down the stretch to notch the win. Thomasson added 18 points and 8 assists and Jehyve Floyd scored 11 points and grabbed 14 boards for Avishay Gordon’s team in the victory. Braian Angloa led Nes Ziona with 24 points while Patrick Miller and Jerome Meyinsse each scored 17 points in the defeat.

Over the weekend, Nes Ziona punched their ticket to the FIBA Europe Cup Final Four after disposing of Iraklis 105-80 in Holland. Brad Greenberg’s squad jumped out to a 27-19 lead after ten minutes and cruised to the big win as Jerome Meyinsse recorded a double double with 26 points and 10 rebounds while Braian Angola added 27 points, Patrick Miller checked in with 19 points and Wayne Selden scored 11 points in the victory. Nes Ziona is looking into hosting the final stage of the competition which is slated to take place between April 23-25.

“This is a phenomenal achievement,” Greenberg declared. “We were super and played so well together throughout the game on both ends of the court. We dished out 28 assists and only committed 10 turnovers. We played exceptional basketball.”

“I’m really excited,” Meyinsse said after the game. “Especially since this is my first year in Europe. I’m happy to achieve this with Nes Ziona and I’m thrilled to be a part of the club. I’m waiting with bated breath for the Final Four.”