Elitzur Netanya downed Hapoel Afula 92-84 to notch their first win back in the Ligat Ha’Al after being promoted this past offseason as they played in their brand new 2,500 seat Netanya Arena. Newcomer Cody Demps starred in his Israeli league return for Netanya while Carlos Marshall and Roy Paretzky were key contributors in the victory.

Jalen Lecque, Sandy Cohen and JP Tokoto got busy for Hapoel Afula while Eric Romero and Codey Riley scored for Elitzur Netanya as the visitors held a 23-16 lead after ten minutes of play. Cody Demps and Carlos Marshall scored with ease for the hosts in the second quarter as Armani Franklin countered for Ariel Beit Halachmi’s team but it was Idan Avshalom’s squad that grabbed a 42-38 advantage at halftime.

Moskovits and Demps helped bump up Netanya’s lead to double digits, 67-55 by the end of the third quarter, but Sandy Cohen and Justyn Mutts scored for Afula to drill the advantage down at the beginning of the final frame. But baksets from Roy Paretzky along with clutch triples by Marshall and Demps wrapped up the club’s first win back in the top league.

Marshall scored 21 points, Demps put in 20 points, Moskovits added 18 points and Paretzky scored 11 points added 8 rebounds and dished out 8 assists in the win. Cohen scored 18 points while Mutts and Franklin scored 17 points a piece in the loss.

“It’s hard to talk about joy in these times but we are working in the basketball industry and we are in the middle of a process of coming together but it’s always better to do so when you are winning,” Netanya Head Coach Idan Avshalom said. “We saw just a bit of what a player like Cody Demps can do for our club and he provided balance to our team. We have an import rookie guard in Carlos Marshall along with Eric Romero who is also a newcomer, so Demps really helps balance the team out. They will all gain experience but when we get a number of injured players back we will be in better shape.”

“I have to give a lot of credit to Netanya and they deserved the win,” Afula Head Coach Ariel Beit Halachmi said. We really turned the ball over too much with 17 and they controlled the offensive rebound as we gave up 21. We tried to come back in but we just couldn’t get any closer to them. We have a team that still needs to come together.”

Itay Moskovits looked back on the his performance, his club’s first win of the season and spoke about the decision to return to Netanya after a number of years playing with various teams in the league, “It’s exciting and we are young so that is a lot of fun. The team didn’t win a game in the preseason as well as in the Winner Cup and I feel that this sat on people’s heads but I’m really happy that the win did come and that we are at that level where we can win. Personally, I’m not thrilled with my game because I know that I can do a lot better, I’m very happy to make the move to Netanya as I want to be a leader. This didn’t happen in Haifa I felt the same with Ramat Gan where it just wasn’t going to happen. I wanted to show what I can do and I’m very happy to be here.”

Jalen Lecque reflected on the game and spoke about the decision to come to Israel, “I took the pedal off the gas and was trying to facilitate a lot more, energy wise and I have to pick it up as one of the leaders of the team. I’m ready to get back in the gym and work on my game more as I am sure we can compete for a playoff spot. I see that we are really a good team and are finding our groove. We are new and this is my first year and I’m getting accustomed to the play quickly. I came to Israel because I wanted to branch out and get a better feeling of the game and work on my fundamentals. As for coach he’s hard on us but he sees a lot in me and I’m willing to give it all and be a sponge.”