Hapoel Tel Aviv just got by Bnei Herzliya 82-80 as the Reds needed points by Tomer Ginat, Xavier Munford, Isaiah Miles and Braian Angola down the stretch to take the lead and hold on for the victory after Mike McGuirl’s 3-point shot at the final buzzer went off of the rim. With the win Stefanos Dedas’s team will head into the final round of games in second place with a 18-6 record tied with Maccabi Ramat Gan. With the loss, Herzliya will finish outside the top 6 and will play in the lower half of the standings in order to punch their ticket to the playoffs.

Ginat scored 23 points, Angola added 16 points and Munford chipped in with 13 points in the win. Adrian Banks scored 20 points, Tyler Stone checked in with 17 points and Frederic Bourdillon scored 12 points in the loss.

“We knew it would be a very difficult game because Herzliya had a chances to get into the top 6 and were super motivated,” Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Stefanos Dedas said. “We came very well prepared. We lost momentum and made some mistakes on defense but in the last 5 minutes, all the offensive possessions were good. I didn’t want to give the opponent the last shot. Some guys didn’t like the decision but the worst case is that we would have gone to overtime and due to our depth we would have won.”

Braian Angola looked back at the win, “It was a very tough and physical game. We stuck together and played together until the end and came out with a win. Coach Dedas is one of the best coaches in Israel and he put us in positions to win the game. We just got to execute and make shots. We wanted to foul to make sure we get the last possession. The last shot? McGuirl got a good look and I was like ‘Oh no’.”

Braian Angola went from the Inside and outside for Hapoel Tel Aviv while Adrian Banks found points and Tyler Stone scored a pair from deep for Bnei Herzliya as the hosts grabbed an early 13-9 lead midway through the first quarter. Xavier Munford put in a 3-point play, Idan Zalmanson and Reggie Lynch traded buckets as Herzliya took a slim 19-18 lead after ten minutes of action.

Banks and Bryson Williams scored for Dan Shamir’s team to begin the second quarter, Frederic Bourdillon went from downtown, Dusty Hannahs responded with a layup, but a Mike McGuirl deuce kept Herzliya ahead 30-28 with five minutes left in the first half. Hannahs put in a 3-point play and a corner 3-ball, Bourdillon and Ethan Burg came back from long distance, but free throws from Ginat and Kyle Alexander and a Munford layup gave Stefanos Dedas’s team a 47-43 advantage at halftime.

Angola opened up the third quarter with a dunk, Ginat added a bucket off the glass and then a 3-pointer, Alexander added a basket, Ginat went from deep, Munford and Banks traded buckets and Hannahs dropped a deuce to bump the Hapoel lead up to 65-57 after thirty minutes of action.

Lynch went from the inside and Bourdillon went from the outside for a 4-point play to quickly cut the lead down to just a pair of points to open up the fourth quarter, Angola dropped a 3-point play and Banks scored a deuce and a triple to put Herzliya in front 73-69 with five minutes remaining in regulation time. Alexander came back with a 3-point play, Isaiah Miles put in a trio of free throws, Munford dunked, Ginat hit a long two, Stone and Willy Workman countered but McGuirl’s last gasp effort from deep bounced off the rim as Hapoel took the win.

Hapoel Eilat sunk Hapoel Holon 75-62 to send the purples to their 4th loss over the course of the last five games. The hosts jumped out to a 36-31 lead by halftime and never looked back to record the victory. Jajuan Johnson scored 18 points Deishuan Booker added 17 points and Elijah Stewart chipped in with 16 points in the win. Tahjere McCall, Hans Vanwign and CJ Harris all scored 10 points in the loss.

Hapoel Beer Sheva eased by Kiryat Ata 98-78 as Kris Bankston starred in his return from Aris where he had been on loan. Bankston paced the southern reds with 23 points, Mike Lewis added 19 points and Grant Sherfield scored 18 points in the win. Akia Pruitt scored 21 points and Amin Stevens scored 17 points in the loss.