Jerusalem day: Hapoel went 1:0

The cup holder recovered. If there were fears that Hapoel "Bank Yahav" Jerusalem's loss last Sunday in the Champions League final would have a negative effect on them, they were completely refuted this evening (Thursday) at the start of the playoffs. Although the Reds fell behind by two digits early and saw Bnei "Ofek Dist" Herzliya do everything they could in the opening, the explosion of Speedy Smith in the second quarter with 18 points in a lightning run of 0:20 completely changed the momentum and raised the home team. The lead, which she did not relinquish until the end, on the way to 70:81, which gave her fans another great reason to celebrate on Jerusalem Day.

Besides Smith, who excelled with 20 points and 5 assists, Aleksandar Dzikic, who returned to Israel a few hours before the game from Serbia, where he went following the death of his mother, also received significant assistance from Zach Hankins (15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks), who presented great ability and will frustrate Herzliya's taller players time and time again in defense. The club can also be satisfied with the impressive comeback they made quickly during the second quarter and the way they recovered from the disappointing loss at the beginning of the week. Now, they will hope to continue the momentum this coming Sunday, when they will host the team from the Sharon for game #2.

Oren Aharoni's team, on the other hand, leaves the game tonight with a sense of failure. As mentioned, the white-blues started the game very well, with Quinton Hawker (13 points) dictating the pace, but the dizzying run of the reds during the second quarter took the guest out of concentration, and from that moment on, the Herzlians were no longer able to come back, despite repeated attempts by Maurice Kemp (double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds) and Chris Babb (23 points and 7 rebounds) to narrow the gap. Now, the club will do everything in their power to keep the house and equalize the series in the upcoming game that will be held at the Yovel Arena.

Course of the game

Hapoel "Bank Yahav" Jerusalem started with five: Speedy Smith, Or Cornelius, Levi Randolph, Marks Meiris, and Zach Hankins. Beni "Ofek Dist" Herzliya with Quinton Hawker, Chris Babb, Yair Kravitz, Maurice Kemp, and Julian Gamble Hawker started strong and led the guest to 0:5, and that was enough for Dzikic, who called a timeout. Back from him, Hankins calmed down with a layup, but Babb immediately answered with a basket and a foul. Randolph and Gamble scored on each side, and Babb, entering the zone, added a shot from the outside plus two shots from the line, which put his team ahead by eleven at 4:15. The Jerusalemites woke up and completed a 0:6 run, and on the other hand, Hawker and Gamble responded with four unanswered points. Carrington narrowed it down with a layup, and Hawker answered with another 3-pointer, but Carrington continued to press with a basket in the paint, which sealed the result of the quarter, and at the end of ten minutes, it was 14:22 for the group from The Sharon.

Hankins, tried to reduce until the end of the quarter (photo: Oded Karni)

Gamble and Kemp pushed the lead back to double digits to open the quarter. Hankins answered with four straight points, but Kemp again put it away with a shot from outside the arc. Carter continued the three-point celebration, Smith responded with a three-pointer of his own (the host's first of the game), and immediately after, Randolph added a layup, which reduced the difference to seven at 23:30. Aharoni called a timeout, but upon exiting it, Smith went on an absolute rampage and, with fifteen points in less than three minutes, reversed the score and put the Jerusalemites ahead by eight. Babb and Kemp calmed down; Meiris kept the lead with a layup, but Kemp responded with a dunk. Hankins said the last word with a big dunk, and at the break, it was 36:42 for the Reds.

Hapoel didn't gave up (photo: Oded Karni)

Smith in a zone (photo: Oded Karni)

The red fans are happy at the break (photo: Oded Karni)

Hankins with the block (photo: Oded Karni)

Dzikic's Israelis led a 2:7 run at the opening of the decisive quarter. Hawker and Kemp stopped the flow with five consecutive points, but Randolph and Hankins calmed down and gave the Reds an eight-point lead, 62:70. Kemp did not give up and reduced the gap with a nice finish in a burst; Randolph lifted Hankins for an impressive Ally Hope; and on the other hand, Carter and Babb reduced the gap again to only five. Blayzer with one from the line and Smith with an important jump put it away. Babb sewed a big three with the board, but Blayzer did the same on the other side with a three from the corner, which closed the story. The forward also added a nice move with a basket and a foul, and in the end, it was 70:81 for Jerusalem.

Blayzer with big clutch game (Photo: Oded Karni)

Important win for the group in red (Photo: Oded Karni)

Hankins is celebrating (Photo: Oded Karni)

The red fans are happy (Photo: Oded Karni)