The final, which will also be a best-of-three series, is slated to begin on Sunday night as the hoops season comes to its culmination after a challenging and exciting campaign.
Gilboa/Galil defeated Holon 74-72 in a thriller as the Galilee team snatched away home-court advantage and can finish off the series on Wednesday night at Gan Ner.
Avishay Gordon’s squad controlled the game from the get-go, but CJ Harris and Willy Workman worked their magic to give Stefanos Dedas’s Holon a late 72-71 lead. However, Gilboa went with Iftach Ziv’s hot hand down the stretch as the star guard put in a terrific basket to take the win.
Ziv led the way with 23 points, five rebounds and six assists, Kerry Blackshear added 15 points and Jehyve Floyd scored 13 points in the win. Harris put in 19 points for Holon, Workman chipped in with 14 points while Nate Sestina scored 11 points in the defeat.
“My team trusted me to take the ball at the end of the game and I’m happy that I was able to do what I needed to in order to get the win,” Ziv said following the game. “It’s a great feeling, but this is only halftime, we have another 40 minutes to go in order to get to the final.”
Workman, who just became a father for the first time this past week, reflected on the defeat.
“Every loss hurts, but now we have to go up there to Gilboa and win and then come back here and win. It hurts to lose on an amazing shot, but now my focus is on the next game.”
Floyd energized Gilboa early with a layup and a pair of thundering dunks, but sharpshooting by Sestina, Workman and Michal Sokolowski helped Hapoel Holon to a 13-8 lead midway through the first quarter.
Ziv, Amit Gershon and Yotam Hanochi punished the hosts from the outside while Blackshear scored on the inside for the visitors as they grabbed a 23-18 lead after 10 minutes.
Blackshear and Gershon opened the second quarter with three-pointers to extend the Gilboa lead, but Harris hit his free throws and then drilled home a triple to pull to within 30-27 with 6:41 remaining in the frame.
Floyd put down another monster dunk, Ziv went from downtown and Joe Thomasson scored his first points of the game, but Sokolowski and Maxim De Zeeuw countered for Dedas’s squad to keep pace, down by just one (37-36) with 3:10 left in the half. Harris went from deep again, but Floyd powered a pair of buckets inside to give Gilboa a 41-39 advantage at halftime.
Ziv slammed the ball home to get the third quarter under way, Netanel Artzi put points in off the glass and Ziv followed up with a nothing-but-net triple from the corner to bump up Gilboa’s lead to 49-43 midway through the period.
Blackshear added points in the paint as did Ziv, Hanochi nailed a three-pointer and Isaiah Cousins went in for a layup while Holon’s Joe Alexander and Frederic Bourdillon scored from the line, but Avishay Gordon’s Gilboa squad stayed in the lead, 58-52 after 30 minutes.
Both teams had trouble getting their offense going to begin the fourth quarter as Gilboa kept the lead (59-53) with 6:19 left in regulation time. Sestina scored the first field goal of the frame and then added a corner three and Gershon drilled one home at the other end of the court, but points by Harris and Workman to move Holon to just three points down (67-64) with under two minutes remaining.
Sokolowski drilled a triple, Workman went in for a layup, Ziv did the same for Gilboa, Harris took Blackshear to the hoop for a layup to give Holon a 72-71 lead, but Ziv went back down the court and scored a layup while being fouled to allow Gilboa to take the tight two-point win.
Meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv eased by Hapoel Eilat 88-72 to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three semifinal series.
Omri Casspi led the way over the first half while Yovel Zoosman did the same during the final frame as the yellow-and-blue controlled the boards to seal the win.
After a close first quarter in which Casspi turned back the clock, Scottie Wilbekin and Oz Blayzer drilled home triples to open up a double-digit lead at the half.
Maccabi continued to score as Zoosman scored 14 of his points over the final frame, going 4-of-4 from deep to wrap up the win.
“I give 100% every game and my character is to always give it my all,” Zoosman commented following the win. “If you’re here at Maccabi Tel Aviv you have to give it your all. for me it’s black and white, not grey. I want people to remember what I was able to contribute to Maccabi 20 years from now.”
Casspi led the way with 17 points, Zoosman added 16 points and Ante Zizic scored 11 points in the win. Eilat’s Casey Prather led all scorers with 24 points, Joe Ragland chipped in with 14 points and Derek Ogbeide scored 10 points in the loss.
Casspi had the hot hand early on with a quick seven points for Maccabi Tel Aviv while Markel Brown put down a reverse dunk and Ben Carter scored a pair of buckets as the hosts led 11-8 midway through the first quarter.
Chris Jones scored two baskets in the paint and Casspi went from deep, but Ragland and Prather led Hapoel Eilat on a 7-0 run to keep pace with the yellow-and-blue, which led 22-21 after 10 minutes.
Ante Zizic scored inside, Jones found points on the outside as did Prather for Ariel Beit Halachmi’s squad as it still trailed the defending champion 29-24 with 6:54 left in the second quarter.
Casspi added a putback, but Brown with another highlight reel dunk and Ragland with a layup kept Eilat close 33-28 with 4:28 to go in the half.
Casspi and Prather traded hoops, Blayzer scored on a fast break while Wilbekin and John DiBartolomeo drilled home their triples to give Maccabi a 45-34 advantage at halftime.
Wilbekin opened the third quarter with another triple, Zoosman added a layup off a steal, Casspi hit a deuce and Zizic notched points inside, while Derek Ogbeide put in a couple of dunks as Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s squad remained in front 57-43 midway through the frame.
Ragland and Hunter traded buckets inside, Jonathan Skoljebrand hit a three, but so did Jones at the other end as DiBartolomeo added a layup to give Maccabi a 66-52 lead after 30 minutes.
Othello Hunter stole the ball and put in a layup to get the fourth quarter under way and Zoosman dialed up from long-distance twice to extend the lead to 74-57 with 5:24 left in the period.
Prather went from downtown, but TJ Cline scored a pair of baskets, Zizic added a bucket in the paint.
Roi Huber scored a corner three-ball and Ragland added a layup to pull Eilat to within 80-68 with 2:49 remaining in regulation.
However, Zoosman and Prather each scored triples, and Zoosman added a layup and yet another three-pointer to help Maccabi to a 1-0 series lead.