Maccabi Tel Aviv had a narrow 92-89 win against Hapoel Afula in Tel Aviv on Monday night.

Maccabi started strong with bigs Roman Sorkin and Jasiel Rivero, scoring early point, however Afula responded with a three-pointer from Jalen Lecque and points from JP Tokoto ensuring a close game with Maccabi leading 25-24 after 10 minutes.

Jimmy Clark and Trevion Williams extended Maccabi’s lead with successful shots to start off the second quarter, however Afula fought back with J’Covan Brown and Sandy Cohen scoring buckets from long range to help Afula level the scores at half time at 48 a piece.

Maccabi tightened its defense in the third quarter, stopping Afula’s scoring for several possessions, while Sorkin and Williams scored consistently to give Maccabi a 68-62 lead heading into the final quarter.

Afula made a strong comeback in the final quarter, even taking the lead with minutes remaining in the game, with key plays from Tokoto and Muriel Lutati. However Randolph’s crucial free throws and three-pointers in the dying minutes helped Maccabi get a crucial W.

Sorkin (21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block), Randolph (17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal) and Williams (17 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal) led the scoring for Maccabi, while Tokoto (16 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal), Justyn Mutts (14 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block) and Cohen (13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals) headed the scoring for the visitors.

“I don’t want to take away anything from Afula, they played a good game,” Maccabi coach Oded Katash said after the game. “But we didn’t come to the game prepared mentally. With respect to our energy, it started badly and ended badly. We had a lot of luck that we won. It’s a red light for all of us. I spoke with the players at halftime, we need to understand that at this point, we’re not in the payoffs or play-in in the EuroLeague and the Israeli League is important. It didn’t feel like that today. I don’t think I can say that there was a player who played with the urgency necessary, but I also take responsibility. We need to check what we didn’t do well. I hope after today the message will be received. There was a lack of energy, I didn’t see it coming, and I didn’t imagine that the players wouldn’t understand the importance of the game. We missed John, he understands the importance of these games, and we missed his energy today.”

“We got to the well but in the end we didn’t get to drink from it,” Afula coach Ariel Beit Halachmi summed up the game. “We were close, we feel like it was a missed opportunity, and it’s a shame because of the season we’re having. But I’m proud of the players, if we continue to play like we did today, we will get the work done in the end.”

“You’re happy to win it in the end,” Sorkin said of the uninspiring team performance. “A win is a win. But we didn’t play well on defense. We have lots to work on. We need to learn to win. Being with Maccabi means every team wants to beat you. We need to be more focused, play stronger and not make life difficult for ourselves.”

“We played well,” Afula big Noam Avivi said. “We were close the whole game, which is what we aimed to do. At the end the rebounds fell for them and we missed out, but we’ll take confidence from this game into the coming games.”

Bnei Herzliya had an away victory against Hapoel Gilboa Galil 93-86 on Monday. The game saw Herzliya take an early lead, maintaining their advantage through strong performances from key players like John Meeks (22 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals) and Daeshon Francis (15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal). Despite a valiant effort from Gilboa Galil, who kept the game competitive with notable contributions from Paul Scruggs (16 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block) and Niv Misgav (14 points, 1 rebound and 6 assists), Herzliya’s consistent scoring and defensive plays secured their victory.

“We played with great intensity and focus and it paid off,” Meeks said post-game. “Our teamwork was exceptional tonight.”

“We had some great moments and showed our potential,” Misgav said. “We’ll learn from this and come back stronger.”

In Monday’s other game, a dominant performance saw Elitzur Netanya defeat Hapoel Galil Elion 88-56. Netanya took control early, leading 20-8 after the first quarter and never looked back. Key players like Kyler Edwards (20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals), Carlos Marshall Jr. (17 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block) and Bryce Washington (14 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block were instrumental in the victory. Galil Elion struggled to keep up, despite efforts from Rawle Alkins (12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block) top-scored for the visitors.

Netanya’s GM, Idan Avshalom, praised his team’s effort, saying, “Our defense was outstanding and we executed our game plan perfectly.”

“We need to regroup and learn from this game to improve moving forward,” Galil Elion’s coach, Guni Israeli, said.

In a high-scoring event on Sunday night, Ironi Nes Ziona defeated Ironi Kiryat Ata 103-88. Nes Ziona took an early lead and maintained their advantage throughout the match, with standout performances from Ricky Lindo (21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals), Bryce Brown (19 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals) and Jake Van Tubbergen (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block). Kiryat Ata fought hard, with Chris Smith (22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal) high-scoring for his team.

Nes Ziona’s coach, Amit Sherf, praised his team’s performance, saying, “Our players showed great determination and executed our strategy perfectly.”

Kiryat Ata’s coach, Eldad Bentov, reflected on the game, stating, “We need to improve our defense and learn from this experience to come back stronger.”

In a commanding performance in Sunday night’s other game, Hapoel Beer Shev had 107-77 victory over Hapoel Haifa in Haifa. Be’er Sheva took control early, which was maintained through the game. Beer Sheva maintained its lead throughout the game, with standout performances from Cody Demps (30 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals) and Justin McKoy (20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals). Haifa struggled to keep up despite efforts from Matt Coleman (13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.

Be’er Sheva’s coach, Rami Hadar, praised his team’s effort, saying, “Our players executed the game plan perfectly and showed great teamwork.”

On the other side, Hapoel Haifa’s coach, Roi Pearl, reflected on the loss, stating, “We need to learn from this game and improve our defense moving forward.”