Hapoel Holon will need to win their upcoming Basketball Champions League Play In game two against Petkimspor on Tuesday (7pm Israel time) in Hungary in order to send the best-of-3 series to a decisive third game back in Baku, Azerbaijan where they fell to the Turkish club in the opening game of the series. The purples should be able to find way past Petkimspor as they are both evenly matched teams, plus Holon only lost by a single point 82-81 and Brendan Adams will be back in the saddle for Guy Goodes squad.

However, with the return of both Brendan Adams and Jalen Adams, Mike Davis Jr. will be out for a few weeks after injuring his ankle in the first game. On top of the changes in the roster, Holon almost blew a huge lead to Galil Elyon this past Friday and came away with a 80-77 which left the fans beside themselves and in a bitter mood ahead of the critical European game.

“Ultimately, a win is a win and that’s what is most important for us,” Goodes said. “We all need to be positive and we all have to stay together as we head into the crucial Play In game. It’s never pleasant to be booed but I’ve been in this business for many years so I know the dynamics here too, after the championship season I experienced the same things. To say I like it? I really don’t like it. The team went through a shake-up in the middle of the season. Sometimes I can understand the frustration of a fan who pays for a ticket, overall three good quarters with the last quarter one not as good, I think the players are trying really hard.”

As for Tuesday’s game, Goodes also shared his thoughts about having Brendan Adams back for this game and what the keys to victory will be, “These are two pretty even teams and they are a club that relies on 3-point shooting and leads the Champions League in percentage (39.9%). In the first half of game one we played our best basketball of the season, very disciplined and precise defensively and offensively. These are the games where you have to bring all of the experience you’ve gained especially in Europe, maybe except for Brendan who does not have that but everyone else is experienced.”

Captain Netanel Artzi also looked ahead to the huge BCL clash, “We are coming into a game that is really do or die. We played very well in the first half but we had some trouble with a few things in the second half that ultimately led to the loss. We have to be focused and alert throughout the game and give it our all to win and get to a decisive game three next week.”

Hapoel Jerusalem will welcome Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana Tuesday (8pm Israel time) in Samokov, Bulgaria as the Reds will look to improve on their 9-5 record and secure second place in EuroCup Division B in what is head-to-head battle for the spot in the standings with the Slovenian club sporting an 8-5 record. Yonatan Alon’s team is coming off a big Israeli league victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv at Yad Eliyahu and will try and use that positive momentum to pick up another win in continental competition.

“They are a completely different team,” Alon said ahead of the matchup. “Their current coach wasn’t there then, he was undergoing a medical procedure and now he’s back with them for quite a while. This is a different team, very aggressive, very well-trained, it’s going to be a super tough game.”

Jerusalem will have a fair amount of fans in the stands in Bulgaria as the club decided to subsidize the flights and hotels for the supporters in order to create a true home court advantage.
“It’s amazing and really incredible. I have to thank the owner Matan Adelson who took it upon himself to subsidize this trip as this game is of enormous importance to us and I hope that we can give something back to both to him and the fans.”

Yovel Zoosman who starred in the win over Hapoel Tel Aviv added, “We need to stay steady and play like we did against Hapoel Tel Aviv. This is a very important game for second place, a game that if we win will put us in a very good spot for the final games of the regular season. I believe we’re on the right track.”

As for the traveling support, the Israeli was thrilled that they will be a part of the game, “I wish it could be more and more fans and I believe they’ll push us, it’s a ton of fun. I hope that at the end of the game we will all come together and celebrate.”