Hapoel Jerusalem used a strong second half to down a game Hapoel Galil Elyon 83-69 to win their season opener up in the Galilee. This hosts came out strong and took a 46-37 lead into halftime on fine play by Bryce Washington. Kyle Gibson and Itai Moskovitz. But Adam Ariel’s second half sharpshooting from beyond the arc, Sean Kilpatrick’s veteran savvy and Retin Obasohan’s play at both ends of the floor sent the Oren Amiel’s Reds on their way to the 14-point win at Kfar Blum.

Obasohan led the way with 22 points, Ariel added 17 points on 5/6 from deep while Sean Kilpatrick scored 15 points in the win. Bryce Washington and Itay Moskovitz each scored 13 points as Kyle Gibson chipped in with 12 points in the loss.

“In the second half we found out which lineups worked best for us defensively which brought our energy to the forefront,” Jerusalem coach Oren Amiel said following the win. “Our depth was important but that wasn’t the only reason we won the game. I really focussed on the defensive side which allowed us to go on the attack.”

Amiel also spoke about Ariel’s play, “We have a special relationship and he knows that I have high demands of him both defensively and offensively. He went through a rough time recently but I’m happy for him and we really need him to hit his shot for the team.”

“In the first half we didn’t play up to the intensity that Oren demands from us,” Reds captain Adam Ariel explained. “We woke up in the second half and we showed our DNA. We made some tactical changes and now we are looking ahead to our Champions League game on Wednesday.”

Barak Peleg, the Galil Elyon coach talked about the game form his perspective, “We had a tough time containing Jerusalem on the offensive rebounds as they took 21 of them which put us under a lot of pressure and we couldn’t go out on fast breaks. We also had an issue with their switching defense especially when they went to a more athletic lineup at the start of the fourth quarter.”

Retin Obasohan scored a trio of baskets on the inside for Hapoel Jerusalem while Kyle Gibson and Nimrod Levi hit their shots from the outside for Hapoel Galil Elyon as the game was all knotted up at 8-8 midway through the first quarter. Obasohan and Ike Iroegbu traded triples, but Bryce Washington in the paint, Omer Tal from deep, Iroegbu and Levi handed the 25-18 lead to the host after ten minutes of play.

Iroegbu continued to fill the basket with a layup to get the second quarter underway, Washington scored a putback off his own rebound and Gibson hit a turnaround jumper for Barak Peleg’s squad. But Jalen Adams scored quick points in the paint for Oren Amiel’s team as Galil still stayed in front 31-24 with 5:59 left in the first half.

As the action began to heat up with end to end action, Sean Kilpatrick, Adam Ariel and Thon Maker chipped away at the lead but Itay Moskovitz hit a pair of jumpers, Chavaughn Lewis win a dunk off a steal and triples by Gibson and Moskovitz triple made sure to keep Galil in the lead 46-37 at halftime.

Washington and Levi scored inside while Willy Workman and Ariel countered at the other end as Galil cling to a 50-49 advantage midway through the third quarter. Lewis broke the run with a layup for Galil, Ariel hit a dead center 3-pointer at the other end but Iroegbu scored a layup right at the buzzer to give the hosts a slim 58-56 lead heading into the final frame.

Tal and Workman traded baskets to get the fourth quarter underway, while Gibson and Segev did the same as well to keep the game close early on in the period. Kilpatrick scored off the glass twice and added a trio of free throws to put Jerusalem in the lead 67-62 with five minutes left in regulation time. Ariel hit another pair from long distance, Obasohan added points from the Christy stripe and Itay Segev scored to seal the victory for Jerusalem up in the Galilee.

Hapoel Eilat sunk Nes Ziona 104-80 by the Red Sea after it had taken the visitors over eight hours to travel from the center of the country via bus due to a major accident on Highway 6. Eilat took full advantage of the visitors with a 24-10 first quarter to ease to the 24-point win. Bryon Allen starred for Ariel Beit Halachmi’s team with 31 points and 8 assists, while Roie Huber abs Justin Patton each scored 17 points in the win. Dianne Garrett led Lior Lubin’s charges with 22 points and Tim Soares added 18 points in the loss.

Hapoel Beer Sheva defeated Hapoel Gilboa Galil 83-69 in the desert capital city as five players scored in double figures to take the win. Junior Etou scored 20 points, Amir Bell added 15 points and Cody Demps chipped in with 13 points in the win. Sacha Killeya-Jones scored 19 points and Ronnie Harrell added 11 points in the loss.