Hapoel Jerusalem staved off a game Nes Ziona 84-78 to get back onto the winning track and also clinched a playoff spot as they will end the regular season in the top half of the standings. Suleiman Braimoh paced the Reds early on but Braian Angola helped the hosts to an 18-0 third quarter run to take a slim 1-point lead. However, Stanton Kidd and Ray McCallum scored crucial points in the final frame to notch the win for Dainius Adomaitis’s team.

Braimoh led all scorers with 25 points, Stanton Kidd added 15 points, Tamir Blatt chipped in with 13 points and 8 assists while McCallum scored 10 points in the win. Angola scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Wayne Selden added 19 points and Patrick Miller scored 17 points in the defeat.

Patrick Miller scored the first points of the game while Braian Angola added a basket from deep for Nes Ziona but Suleiman Braimoh and Tashawn Thomas matched them at the other end for Hapoel Jerusalem as the hosts stayed in front 6-4 midway through the first quarter. Braimoh continued to score as did, Tamir Blatt, Chris Kramer, Adam Ariel and Adi Cohen Saban but Wayne Selden, Tal Dunne and Miller did as well as the Reds held a 16-14 lead after ten minutes of play.

Cohen Saban put in a reverse layup, Stanton Kidd added points and a 3-point play but Selden helped keep Nes Ziona close, 24-21 with 6:39 left in the second quarter. Ray McCallum drilled a corner triple, Thomas used the backboard for points, Cohen Saban scored a layup and Blatt went from downtown to put the Reds up 34-25 with 4:16 to go until the end of the first half. Selden put down a dunk and Angola added a layup, but Braimoh continued to pour in the points and finished with 18 points at halftime to help Dainius Adomaitis’s team to a 47-34 advantage.

Angola got the third quarter going with a 3-pointer and a layup while Selden added points in the paint to slightly close the gap to 55-44 midway through the period. Meyinsse scored a baby-hook, Miller sliced to the basket for a layup and Nimrod Levi slammed the ball through the hoop against his former team to pull to 55-51. Free throws by Angola, points in the paint by Miller and Meyinsse and a triple at the buzzer by Angola brought Brad Greenberg’s team all the way back to take a 63-62 lead after thirty minutes of action.

Blatt began the fourth quarter with points from downtown, Braimoh scored in the paint, but Levi, Meyinsse and Raviv Limonad all scored to keep the score tied up at 69 with 6:30 left in regulation time. Kidd hit another 3-pointer, Thomas scored inside and McCallum went in on an easy break as Miller countered but Jerusalem retook the lead 78-74 with under four minutes to go. Selden scored a deuce but McCallum nailed a wide open 3-pointer at the other end propelling Jerusalem to the win.

Hapoel Eilat sunk Hapoel Tel Aviv 108-95 as Casey Prather went off for 41 points in the victory. After an even first half that ended 45-45, Ariel Beit Halachmi’s squad took charge to take the 13-point win. Along with his 41 points Prather dished out 7 assists, Markel Brown added 23 points and Josh Nebo checked in with 20 points in the big win. Justin Tillman was once against excellent with 27 points, Boston Celtics defeat pick Yam Madar scored 25 points and Bar Timor chipped in with 15 points in the loss.

Hapoel Beer Shea just slipped by Bnei Herzliya 77-75 to move their record to 11-10 as they look to continue to move up the standings. The southern reds jumped out to a 26-12 lead after ten minutes on the strength of Caleb Agada’s play, but Coty Clarke helped Sharon Drucker’s squad get back into the game to head into halftime all knotted up at 40-40. But strong games from Eric Thompson and Amir Bell gave Rami Hadar’s team points down the stretch to notch the 2-point victory. Agada scored 21 points to lead Beer Sheva, Thompson notched 18 points and 8 boards and Bell chipped in with 12 points. Coty Clarke scored 17 points and added 9 rebounds, Abdul Gaddy scored 12 points and Max Heidegger added 11 points in the loss.

Hapoel Haifa painted the Carmel Red as they squeaked by Maccabi Haifa 87-84 in a hotly contested Haifa Derby. The Greens held a 45-39 lead at halftime but Elad Hasin’s squad came roaring back with a 26-11 third quarter and then held on for the win over the final frame. Keenan Evans led Hapoel with 23 points, Karam Mashour scored 17 points, grabbed 6 boards and handed out 11 assists, Jason Siggers chipped in with 12 points and Rakeem Buckles scored 11 points in the win. Kalin Lucas led Amit Ben David’s team with 17 points, Michael Brisker added 15 points and Roman Sorkin notched 14 points in the loss.

Hapoel Holon dunked all over Nahariya 84-67 as Stefanos Dedas’s squad continued their winning ways this time in Israeli league action after notching victories in both Champions League and Balkan League action. Maxim De Zeeuw scored 15 points and pulled down 8 boards, CJ Harris and Oded Brandwein each scored 12 points while Willy Workman chipped in with 10 points in the win. Michael Young led the northerners with 19 points while Marom Blossomgame added 13 points in the loss.

In Balkan League action, Hapoel Gilboa Galil downed Skopje 105-71 in a game that was never close. Jeheyve Floyd led the way for Avishay Gordon’s squad with 19 points, Amit Gershon added 13 points while Isaiah Cousins notched a double double with 10 points and 10 assists on the win.