Joe Ragland had the hot hand in the fourth quarter as the guard helped Hapoel Holon put away Hapoel Galil Elyon 83-73. Guy Goodes’s squad jumped out to an early 20-point lead as Chris Johnson led the way, but Bryce Washington, Wayne Langston and Itay Moskovits cut down the advantage to just 3-points 60-57 by the middle of the final frame. However, Dawson drained a triple and Ragland went off for 13 points to close out the game and hand the hosts the win.

Ragland led all scorers with 25 points, Johnson added 19 points and Dawson chipped in with 13 points in the win. Deishuan Booker paced Galil with 19 points, Washington added 14 points and Langston scored 12 points in the loss.

“We started well and we showed a lot of character to comeback and win a game against a team that has been on a good roll,” Holon coach Guy Goodes began. “We all want to win, but we lost some tough games recently and they were due to some of the small things, rebounds and the like but we need to learn from that and move on. We had a lot of games the past month plus including flights, but now we have a bit of a break and will do what we need to do against Jerusalem on the road.”

“We haven’t played well at this arena,” Galil Elyon coach Barak Peleg said. “Holon are a team that plays in two competitions and they know how to handle these types of situations even when they are coming back from a rough game. All in all we are a young team and we will learn how to deal with these types of games down the road.”

The game MVP Joe Ragland also looked back at the game that was, “I just wanted to be aggressive in that moment, make sure I got the best shot for my team if it’s me or my teammates. and helped my team. Give credit to them as they have always been a good team since they have been in the first division and they had a five game winning streak. They were going to have moments when they were going to fight back and make it a game, but I’m glad we won the game.”

Itay Moskovits looked back at the game from his point of view, “We came back into the game and we had the momentum but they really controlled the game for the most part with Ragland and Johnson and when that is the case, it’s not so much in your hands.”

Hapoel Holon jumped all over Hapoel Galil Elyon to begin the game as Chris Johnson nailed a pair from deep while Hayden Dalton added one as well to give the hosts a quick 13-2 lead midway through the first quarter. Niv Misgav and Dalton scored for Guy Goodes’s squad while Bryce Washington and Lotan Amsalem did the same but Johnson added another deuce to give Holon a 23-9 lead after ten minutes of play.

CJ Harris, Marvin Jones and Johnson kept pouring in the points, Joe Ragland went from deep and Shawn Dawson went for two to bump the Holon lead up to 34-14 with five minutes left in the second quarter. Devyn Marble, Wayne Langston and Itay Moskovitz all scored for Barak Peleg’s team to pull to within 10-points, 39-29 at halftime.

Johnson, Dalton and Misgav were up to their old tricks as the third quarter began, Bryce Washington, Nimrod Levi and Deishuan Booker responded as Holon team remained in front 49-37 midway through the period. Johnson drilled home a corner 3-ball and added a layup, Roi Huber scored while Langston and Moskovits scored from the line but Holon stayed ahead 59-47 after thirty minutes of action.

Washington looked to spur on a Galil Elyon comeback with points to begin the fourth quarter, as also Booker scored off a steal and Dawson came back with a triple to keep Holon in the lead 63-57 with five minutes left in regulation time. Washington put in a pair, Ragland came back with a pair of free throws, a layup and a trio of 3-pointers while Booker tried in vain to keep Galil close but it was for naught as Holon wrapped up the victory.

Hapoel Tel Aviv got by pesky Kiryat Ata 90-84 as Bar Timor helped the Reds cut down a 15-point halftime deficit to chalk up the win in front of their fans at the Drive In Arena. The visitors for Kiryat Ata came out flying in the first half as Karam Mashour and Yotam Hanochi paced Sharon Avrahami’s squad to a 52-37 advantage after twenty minutes of action. However, Timor along with JP Tokoto and Tomer Ginat helped pull Danny Franco’s team in front as time ticked down to take the victory.

Timor led the Reds with 23 points, while Ginat and Tokoto each scored 13 points in the win. Mashour scored 23 points as Yotam Hanochi added 16 points and Juvonte Reddic added 11 points in the loss.

“I think the game was more mental than anything else,” Hapoel coach Danny Franco said. “I am happy that at halftime we are able to make the changes that we needed. It was a game that we had to get by, win and move on. We were better in the second half and we played at a good pace.”

“We are playing together as a team,” Kiryat Ata bench boss Sharon Avrahami said. “Against all of the big teams we have played well whether it’s Jerusalem or Maccabi and that is what also makes these losses frustrating. But it comes down to the small things and while we have a short squad that can also be an issue as well.”

Bnei Herzliya used a big second half to sink Hapoel Eilat 91-81 as Julian Gamble, Maurice Kemp and Oded Brandwein spurred the visitors to the win down south. DJ Funderburk paced the hosts to a an early 43-40 lead at halftime but Oren Aharoni’s squad came roaring back in the third quarter. Gamble filled the bucket in the paint, Kemp scored at will while their defensive prowess proved formidable to take the frame 25-10 and help Herzliya to the win.

Gamble led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Kemp checked in with 13 points and 14 boards as Brandwein and Hooker each scored 13 points in the win. Funderburk paced the hosts with 26 points and Amit Gershon added 15 points in the loss.

“I have to give credit to the players for really playing well on defense,” Herzliya coach Oren Aharoni said. “Eilat is a good team with some excellent players who can score some big baskets. But we were able to even up the game with our defense. This was a very good win in a tough arena.”

“Too many turnovers in crucial moments and missing box outs,” Eilat coach Maurizio Buscaglia said. “We need some more ball sharing and we need to improve. We struggled to keep the flow and the third quarter was really bad. We will keep practicing.”

Oded Brandwein also looked back on the game, “This was a very important win for us against an Eilat team that are fighting for their lives, We defended well and made some big stops. We want to get into the playoffs and see where we will go by taking it one game at a time. We have to be modest and work hard.”