Nes Ziona squeaked by Hapoel Haifa 88-86 in a tough back and forth battle to take the 6th and final automatic playoff spot. Justin Tillman, Wil Rayman and Amit Simhon found points early on while DJ Cooper and Jerome Mayinsee countered for Nes Ziona as the Carmel Reds grabbed an early 47-41 advantage at the half. Tyler Bey got hot and Shaq Buchanan also scored for the visitors to take the lead in the third quarter as they held thanks to free throws down the stretch by Cooper and Bey to chalk up the victory.

Bey led the way with 27 points, Buchanan added 14 points, Meynisee scored 13 points while Cooper scored 12 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed 8 rebounds in the win. Tillman scored 28 points and Simhon chipped in with 17 points in the loss.

“It was as we expected as Haifa are trying to stay in the league,” Nes Ziona coach Elad Hasin said. “It was not an easy game nut we made the top 6 and one of the keys was only turning the ball over 4 times in the second half after committing 13 in the first. The players deserve a lot of credit.”

Tyler Bey looked back at the victory, “I feel like it was a team win and it was a tough game and a good game, we stuck together no matter what and we competed. It starts with practice and getting better every day. But it’s also playing defense. Winning and taking it one game at a time.”

Hapoel Beer Sheva downed Hapoel Gilboa Galil 103-89 but the win was not enough to hand the southern reds an automatic playoff off spot and will now have to battle for one of the two remaining places. Khalil Ahmad and Ben Moore paced Beer Sheva in the first half while Robert Franks and Tony Carr dd the same for Hapoel Gilboa Galil, but the hosts took a 56-51 lead at halftime. David Efiyani began making his mark on the game in the second half while Greg Whittington also scored to cancel out Payton Willis’s efforts and take the 14-point victory.

Efiyani led the way with 29 points, Ben Moore added 22 points while Ahmad scored 17 points and Whittington chipped in with 15 points in the win. Carr scored 24 points as Willis and Franks each scored 19 points in the loss.

Bnei Herzliya defeated Kiryat Ata 77-66 as Oren Aharoni’s squad solidified their spot in one of the final two playoff spots. Sandy Cohen and Maurice Kemp scored for Herzliya as Amin Stevens and Karam Mashour responded for Gilboa Galil but it was Oren Aharoni’s squad who stayed in front 36-30 at the half. Herzliya big men Julian Gamble and Robert Carter got busy in the second half as the hosts snatched the win.

Kemp scored 19 points, Gamble added 15 points and Cohen chipped in with 11 points in the win. Mashour led Kiryat Ata with 17 points and Amin Stevens added 16 points in the loss.