May 24, 2012
Israeli Cup Quarterfinals, 1st leg: January 6-7, 2007
Tim Bowers Hapoel Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv, Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem and Bnei Hasharon all picked up big win in the first leg of the Israeli Cup quarterfinals, paving the way to the next round. Maccabi beat Ironi Nahariya at home 86-72 behind 19 points from Nikola Vujcic and 15 by Jaime Arnold, while Hapoel beat Maccabi Givat Shmuel on the road in 95-106 as five players scored in double figures. Bnei Hasharon smashed Afula/Gilboa 97-72 at home. The big upset of the week came when Yoqneam/Megido of the National League beat Ironi Ramat Gan 89-85 at home to set up an exciting second leg.

Maccabi showed no mercy to the visitors and led 21-8 after just 6 minutes on its way to a 26-18 advantage after 10 minutes. Yaniv Green came off the bench to provide 2 great blocked shots, but Nahariya fought back with a 0-9 run to make it just a 5-point game. Arnold scored from the line to set the half time score at 47-41. Simas Jasaitis warmed up his hand and started to drain three-pointers, but John Gilchrist and Juan Mendez kept the visitors not far behind. The cup holders lost concentration and even a timeout by coach Neven Spahija wasn't enough for more than a 67-60 lead after 3 quarters. Nahariya got within minus-3, but Vujcic and Lior Eliyahu carried Maccabi to a 77-67 lead as Maccabi ran 9-0 and then climbed to a 15-point difference on the way to an 86-72 win. Vujcic with 19 points to lead Maccabi, Arnold added 15, Yotam Halperin 12 and Simas Jasaitis finished with 11. Mendez led Nahariya with 25 points and Gilchrist had 12.

Hapoel played on the road and showcased Terence Morris in a successful debut with his new team. It wasn't long before Hapoel took its first double-digit at 7-17, but needed a wild buzzer-beating three-point shot from Ed Cota to take a 22-30 lead after one quarter. Morris stepped on court in the second quarter and soon showed what he can bring to the court with some points and rebounds. Mario Austin joined the party to carry Hapoel to a 42-62 lead at halftime. Jay Straight led Givat Shmuel back to the game all the way to 63-76, but Timmy Bowers didn't feel sorry for his old team, as Hapoel took a 63-82 lead with 10 minutes to play. Givat Shmuel made a 10-2 run early in the fourth, but Bowers and Meir Tapiro kept their team safe in front on the way to a impressive 95-106 win, that should be enough for the second leg that will be played in Jerusalem. Bowers had 21, Austin 17, Tapiro 14, Morris 13 and Dror Hagag 12 points to carry Hapoel to the win. Boo Davis led Givat Shmuel with 20, Oren Aharoni added 18, Straight scored 16. Wayne Wallace finished with 14 and Dror Cohen had 13.


Sunday, January 07, 2007
Yarone Arbel, Euroleague.net

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