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Israeli League, National Cup Final: February 8, 2007 |
Hapoel celebrates cup win
Photo: Eli Stern, ITSports.co.il
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Hapoel
Migdal Jerusalem won the 2007 Israeli Cup after beating Bnei Hasharon
103-85 in a one-sided game on Thursday night at Nokia Arena in Tel
Aviv. Some 8,000 fanatic fans turned the most yellow arena in Europe
red as Hapoel won its first domestic title in a decade. Hapoel
previously won back-to-back Israeli Cups in 1996 and '97 as well as the
team's lone European title, the ULEB Cup in 2004. Dan Shamir, in his
first season as a head coach, led an impressive Hapoel squad to a
blowout win. The Jerusalemites took a 55-38 lead at halftime, and kept
the pressure on in the second half on the way to a night-to-remember.
Mario Austin posted a big game with 27 points and 6 rebounds, Dror
Hagag earned a worthy standing ovation in another big game with 18
points, 6 assists and 3 steals, Terrence Morris added 15 points and 9
rebounds, while Guy Pnini and Timmy Bowers scored 10 each. Lee Nailon
led Bnei Hasharon with 19 points, but only 9 in the last 30 minutes of
the game, Moshe Mizrahi scored 16, Ousmane Cisse finished with a
double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, Cookie Belcher added 13 of
his own and Jason Williams scored 12.
 As
expected, both teams were nervous in the opening minutes, but Nailon
for Bnei Hasharon and Austin for Hapoel got the scoring running. After
five-and-a-half minutes, Bnei Hasharon held a 9-12 lead. Nailon, with
10 points in the quarter, carried his team to a 20-22 lead before
Hagag, who already collected 12 of his own, and Jerusalem captain Meir
Tapiro scored behind the arc to make it 26-23 after 10 minutes. Morris
with a two dunks and a put back helped Hapoel to a 37-30 lead, but
Williams quickly scored at the other end and Shamir called for his
first time out. Erez Markovic came off the bench for Austin and with 5
quick points gave Hapoel its biggest lead yet, 41-32, forcing Bnei
Hasharon coach Effi Birenboim to call a time out of his own. That
wasn't enough to stop Hapoel's run. The reds extended their lead to
48-35 after Pnini scored from downtown and Ed Cota from short distance,
and by half time Hapoel had a 55-38 advanctage. Hapoel came out of the
locker rooms like a cannon and killed any hope of Bnei Hasharon for a
comeback. After Austin hit back-to-back three-pointers, Morris hit the
sky to finish a huge alley-hoop and Hapoel took a 74-50 lead halfway
through the third quarter. Hapoel entered the last period with a
22-point lead and it was clear this cup is going nowhere but the
capital city. Morris with two hits from the line set the score 85-59,
the biggest lead of the night. Bnei Hasharon had nothing else to do but
cut down the deficit to 18 at the buzzer, before Tapiro lifted the cup
to the cheers of the red fans.
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Thursday, February 08, 2007
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Yarone Arbel, Tel Aviv |
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