Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Elitzur Netanya 99-83 as the yellow-and-blue needed to mount a Seine half comeback to take care of the upstart diamond city squad. Idan Avshalom’s squad came out firing from deep as Carlos Marshall and Ariel Isaak scored at will while Roie Paretzky and Kyler Edwards helped the visitors to a 48-40 lead at halftime. However, the State Cup slumber came to quick end as the game moved into the third quarter where Levi Randolph didn’t miss from the inside and outside to finish the period with 17 points while John Dibartolomeo, Roman Sorkin, Marial Shayok and Will Rayman all hit their shots from deep to take the victory.

Randolph scored 32 points, Dibartolomeo added 12 points and Sorkin scored 10 points in the win. Marshall scored 20 points, Edwards put in 18 points and Paretzky scored 13 points in the loss.

“What we were worried about in the first half happened after the Cup game as we had no energy,” Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach Oded Katash began. “We also didn’t have two ball handlers in Rokas Jokubaitis and Tamir Blatt but we pulled it together in the second half and Levi Randolph just was superb in third quarter. We looked a lot better in the second half.”

“I liked how we played in the first half and we had a lot of time to prepare,” Netanya bench boss Idan Avshalom said. “Maccabi didn’t have one of their main ball handlers and that allowed us to take advantage of the situation but Levi Randolph really had a great game and we ended a bit more left in the second half, but all and all I’m content with how we competed.”

Will Rayman looked back at the contest, “We played so many games this year, every one has its own identity and we can learn from each of them as well. At halftime is was good to stay together in the lockerroom and it was an amazing performance by Levi Randolph in the third quarter. I haven’t seen that in a long time.”

Bryce Washington reflected on the loss, “We’ve been improving throughout the year and to be a playoff team you have to play a 40 minutes not just a good first half. I also should have played better.”

John Dibartolomeo drained a 3-pointer, Levi Randolph hit a midrange jumper and Jasiel Rivero put down a reverse dunk to get things going for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Carlos Marshall, Roie Paretzky and Ariel Isaak all went from deep for Elitzur Netanya as the game was all knotted up at 11-11 midway through the first quarter. Isaak knocked down a corner 3-ball, Roman Sorkin came back with a 3-point play, Marshall went from deep again, Trevion Williams put in a pair of baskets in the paint but Marshall had the hot hand with another 3-pointer to give the visitors a 24-20 lead after ten minutes of play.

Eric Romero and Sorkin traded baskets to begin the second quarter, Itay Moskovitz scored a layup while Kyler Edwards went from downtown as did Levi Randolph, Edwards dunked off a miss and Paretzky scored a layup to give Idan Avshalom’s team a 35-27 lead with 5:18 left in the half. Randolph and Marshall traded baskets, Randolph hit a turnaround jumper, Williams nailed a triple, Dibartolomeo scored a jumper in the lane, Edwards put in a 4-point play but Randolph scored yet again but Netanya went into halftime holding a 48-40 advantage.

Maccabi began the third quarter on fire as Randolph did the damage from the inside and outside, Paretzky and Isaak responded, Sorkin and Randolph kept scoring at the other end while David DeJulius also scored to give the yellow-and-blue a 72-63 lead after thirty minutes of action.

Marshall went from deep and Paretzky added a layup to start off the fourth quarter, Rafi Menco scored off a steal and added a triple, Will Rayman knocked down a corner 3-ball, Rivero with a putback, Marial Shayok went for a pair from deep, DeJulius and Sorkin did the same, while Rayman also went from downtown to wrap up the win.