The runner-up defeated Maccabi Haifa 73:91 and qualified for the Final Four, which it is not yet clear when it will take place • Dovrat excelled with 18 points and 4 assists
Spokeswoman.
Great evening for the child
Photo:
Oded Karni
It was a bit sad to be in the stands of an entire team hall when uncertainty hovers in the air and no one knows when the next time we will meet in a basketball game in an Israeli setting.
Who like Maccabi Rishon Lezion, the runner-up from the last two years, to sweeten the bad taste a bit.
The team in orange did not look good in the warm-up games and they also missed one of their foreigners after the departure of Sean Armand, but Guy Goodes has already shown more than once that he knows the job even in less comfortable situations.
It is said that there is no vacuum in basketball, so with three foreigners there is room for Israelis to stand out, in the case of Rishon Lezion young Israelis who excelled in 73:91 against Maccabi Haifa in the quarterfinals of the Winner's Cup.
Taylor vs. Smith, tonight in Tel Aviv // Photo: Oded Karni
Noam Dovrat, who has been moving between IDF training and team training in recent weeks, was one level above everyone else with 18 points and 4 assists and showed that last season we saw only a little of her enormous potential.
The other that stood out is Noam Avivi, in which great hopes are pinned on the club.
Talent we always knew he had, but this time the big change was in attitude and aggressiveness on the way to his own 15.
Avi Ben Shimol vs. Isaiah Taylor, tonight in Tel Aviv // Photo: Oded Karni
On the other hand, all eyes were turned to Dontae Smith, who returned to Israeli basketball where he had completely dominated some of the years in the previous decade.
Smith looks a little rusty, still a little 37 years old and after half a year without basketball.
The bright spot was provided by the talented Roman Sorkin with 15 points.