Maccabi Tel Aviv spoiled Yonatan Alon’s debut as Hapoel Jerusalem’s coach as the Yellow & Blue drubbed the Reds 100-76 in the capital city. Scottie Wilbekin who was questionable right until tipoff with neck spasms scored early and often as the guard drilled home half a dozen triples to lead Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s squad from deep as they shot a lights out 14/29 to take the win.

Wilbekin led the way with 24 points, Ante Zizic added 20 points, Elijah Bryant put in 19 points and Tyler Dorsey chipped in with 11 points. Ray McCallum scored 18 points, Tamir Blatt added 15 points and Idan Zalmanson scored 13 points in the loss.

With Yonatan Alon in charge of his first game as a head coach, both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem got off to glowing starts as Elijah Bryant and Oz Blayzer went from deep while Stanton Kidd did the same at the other end as the score was knotted up at 11-11 midway through the first quarter. Tamir Blatt and Scottie Wilbekin traded triples, Hunter went in for a dunk, Wilbekin scored a pair of layups and Sandy Cohen went from downtown while Tashawn Thomas and Ray McCallum scored to try to keep pace but the Yellow & Blue grabbed a 27-18 lead after ten minutes.

Tyler Dorsey opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, Hunter added points but Kidd and Chris Kramer did as well to within 33-27 with six minutes left in the half. Zizic dunked, Dorsey scored in the paint while Zalmanson did the same at the other end as Thomas added points but Wilbekin went from deep and Zizic worked the inside to take a 47-35 lead into halftime.

Wilbekin drained a pair of triples to begin the third quarter, Bryant scored off the glass but Zalmanson and Blatt each found points as did Chris Kramer but Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s squad stayed in front 63-44 midway through the frame. Su Braimoh put down a poster dunk, Blatt nailed a corner 3-ball and Zalmanson scored a midrange jumper from his sweet spot in the key, but DiBartolomeo dialled up long distance as did Dorsey to bump their lead up to 73-55.

McCallum got the fourth quarter off and running with two 3-pointers and Thomas scored in the paint but Wilbekin went from beyond the arc and Bryant scored as Maccabi continued to roll along with a 86-69 advantage with 5:50 remaining in regulation time. Wilbekin hit a corner triple, Zizic scored a midrange jumper and Bryant went from deep as the Yellow & Blue wrapped up the 24-point win.

Hapoel Holon notched a 80-73 win over Hapoel Eilat in a back and forth game throughout the 40 minutes that heated up over the second half as 51 total fouls were called and four players fouled out between the two teams. Immediately after the game CJ Harris and Holon came to an agreement to extend the guard’s contract for the 2021/22 season. Tyrus McGee scored 24 points for Stefanos Dedas’s team while Nate Sestina and CJ Harris each scored 12 points in the victory. Markel Brown with 20 points, Ben Carter with 14 points and Casey Prather with 13 points led the way for Ariel Beit Halachmi’s crew in the loss.

Hapoel Gilboa Galil dropped Bnei Herzliya 92-77 as the hosts used a strong 3rd quarter to pull away and record the victory. Kerry Blackshear led Avishay Gordon’s squad with 16 points and 9 rebounds, Iftach Ziv added 14 points and Isaiah Cousins chipped in with 12 points in the win. Coty Clarke paced Herzliya with 20 points and Terrell Parks added 16 points in the loss.