Bnei Herzliya defeated Hapoel Beer Sheva 75-65 as both Chinanu Onuaku and Chris Babb paced the the State Cup holders to the win down south. Oren Aharoni’s squad jumped out to a 46-27 lead by half-time thanks to Onuaku’s play in the paint, Babb’s sharp shooting and DJ Cooper all around floor generalship. The hosts tried to come back in the second half with points by Cody Demps and Junior Etou but Herzliya were able to fend off Beer Sheva’s late run to take the win.

Onuaku scored 21 points and added 12 rebounds, Babb checked in with 21 points with 5 3-pointers, DJ Cooper dished out 14 assists and Aleksandar Zecevic chipped in with 9 points in the win. Cody Demps scored 21 points while Junior Etou, Netta Segal and Dererk Pardon each added 10 points a piece in the loss.

“It’s important for us to finish this second round of games the right way,” Babb told The Sports Rabbi. “This was a big test for us. They’re a tough and physical team. We withstood their run in the 4th quarter and finished the game strong.”

Hapoel Haifa smashed Nes Ziona 88-57 to clinch a spot in the Top 6 and an automatic place in the playoffs as four players featured in double digits in the blowout win. The Carmel Reds scored early and often as Scottie James, Kadeem Allen and Amit Simhon scored at will to take a 50-28 advantage at halftime as Elad Hasin’s squad cruised to the victory. James recorded a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, Simhon added 17 points and Allen chipped in with 16 points in the win. Frank Bartley scored 11 points and Golan Gutt added 10 points for Nes Ziona in the loss.