Elitzur Ramle captured the Israel women’s basketball championship after defeating Harold Lev Jerusalem 84-60, winning its third title in a row with a clean 3-0 sweep in the finals.
Host Ramle came into Game 3 after just clipping the Reds 95-94 in Game 2, and it was clear from the get-go that the yellow-and-black had no interest in making a return trip to the capital for a fourth game.
Jessica Jackson, Jennie Simms, Tzlil Vaturi, and Eden Rotberg came out flying for Danny Gutt’s squad as the hosts took an insurmountable 44-23 halftime lead and never looked back to run away with the win.
Rotberg scored 19 points, Jackson added 17 points, and Simms checked in with a triple-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists In the win. Breanna Richardson scored 20 points, while Stashi Carey chipped in with 18 points for Jerusalem in the loss.
Gutt, who was soaked from head to toe following the game, spoke about the victory.
“I have been a part of many titles – whether it was with David Blatt, Maccabi Tel Aviv, 3x3 Championships, and others – but this was the sweetest of them all because this was one was as a head coach and one that was for an entire season. We had a bit of a slump when we lost the cup, but we got over that, and we came into the semifinals and finals with all of our strengths. We deserved it as we were the No. 1 team throughout the entire season, and we had to prove that in these six playoff games, and that’s what we did.”
The keys to the win
As for the keys to the win, Gutt repeated one word: “Defense, defense, defense, and defense. We knew that in order to beat Jerusalem, we had to keep their point total down, and if we wanted to win a title, it had to be via our defense. I’m happy that the team put in an incredible performance. Our squad left their heart on the court, and winning the championship was the result.”
Jerusalem bench boss Limor Peleg, who picked up the coach of the season award, spoke about the game and about wrapping up a successful campaign for the first-year premier league squad.
“Not the way we wanted to end the season, but we gave it all we had. I don’t know what happened in this game and we all had a very long week, all of Israel did. I don’t know if we were tired if it was just going down 0-2 – I have no answers. Putting this game aside, I am really proud of the team. They went above all expectations of themselves, the club, and the team. We won the State Cup, took second place, and made it to the finals, so I’m really proud of everything they did this year.”
Rotberg, who was named MVP, was at a loss for words as to how excited she was to win the championship.
“I’m super happy; this was amazing. From the first moment, we came in to win, and we deserved it. This was a crazy series, and we expected that. I’m so proud of everyone. The cup loss seemed to wake everyone up, and it’s too bad that we lost that game, but that’s sports, and we were able to overcome that to win this title. We worked super hard this season, but I have to remind everyone that there are hostages being held in Gaza and that we are still at war. So I’m happy that we were able to give people the chance to smile and enjoy some sports during this tough time.”