Maccabi Ashdod girls could have won the championship tonight (Monday), Elitzur Neve David Ramla just wanted to drag the playoff final series to a fifth game and the result was a close and fascinating game all the way, which ended in a local victory, 2: 2 in the Athena Winner League playoff final series For women in basketball - and especially in a huge victory for anyone who loves sports in general and basketball in particular.
The day when a team can win the championship is for the most part its most important of the year, but precisely on the part of Elitzur Neve David Ramla, who reached the fourth game in the playoff final series 2: 1 behind Maccabi Ashdod, it was a day from which there is no return.
The players in both teams started the game with some hesitation, with a fairly low shooting percentage, with what created the small gap to the credit of the guests from Ashdod were the threes of Alex Cohen and Tia Presley.
It was precisely from a 10: 4 deficit that Ramla came into the game - especially Crystal Dangerfield and Emma Cannon.
The first created shooting situations for herself from half distance, the second penetrated powerfully into the basket and the result was a 2:11 run that turned the result to their credit and brought Ramla down to a break between the quarters with a 14:17 advantage.
Ramla equalizes to 2: 2, Photo: Oded Karni
Ramla equalizes to 2: 2, Photo: Oded Karni
Eden Inbar drew the attention of his players to a 13-point absorption in the last four minutes of the quarter and demanded extreme care in defense - and they did respond.
In the first five minutes Ramla scored two individual points - and both were by Canon from the penalty line.
But instead of producing a run against their own and regaining control of the game, Ashdod insisted that the foreigners take the shots even in difficult situations.
It did set some spectacular points for Victoria Vivians, but also a number of valid offenses.
Three minutes to the end of the quarter, and as she struggled offensively in the face of her injury from the previous game, Alyssa Baron found her shot from three and equalized for 26:26.
The one who hurried to answer her with a three is Alex Cohen, who was Ashdod's X Factor, but when Baron enters the 'zone', nothing can stop her.
Her 12 points in the first half - ten of them in the final minutes of the second quarter - set up a 33:33 tie at the break.
Upper Poetry, Photo: Oded Karni
The second half opened with the Ramla mark.
Everything went to the top shooting team as Baron continued to be the barometer and scored from outside the arc, Cannon completed points under the basket, the 50-50 balls fell into the hands of the home team and even from the line Ramla stood in the middle of the third quarter on 10 of 10.
Eden Inbar called a timeout to prevent the further deterioration of the team of, which has already found itself seven points behind.
But Ashdod did not find itself after that either.
Her drop to defense was a bit lazy, and she had a hard time withstanding the enthusiasm of Ramla, who scored 22 points in seven minutes of play.
Only the fatigue of the locals and the returning balls in the attack kept Ashdod in business and brought it down in the third quarter with a relatively small lag of 55:50.
Ashdod came out in the last quarter like the muzzle of a cannon in an attempt to secure a championship win.
Vivians snatched a ball and scored an easy basket after just seven seconds, and the defense also tightened in relation to the third quarter, which left Ramla largely dependent on Dangerfield's miracles.
When Madison Shea scored a critical three and when Emma Cannon committed her fifth offense in the 35th minute, the pendulum seemed to be moving vigorously in the direction of the team from Port City.
But just like in the previous game, Ashdod did not manage to take advantage of its superiority on the field for absolute superiority on the scoreboard.
Ramla managed to mess up the game and force a game of digging from the line, which culminated when both teams were tied 66:66, two minutes to go.
Boone scored one from the line, Dangerfield scored from half-distance and a terrible error by Vivians, who committed an offense, sent Baron to score another from the line.
The Ashdod star equalized from the other side to 69:69, half a minute to go.
An unnecessary offense by Shea sent Dangerfield to the line eight seconds to go and the Ramla star came back from him with just one point,
Ramla equalizes to 2: 2, Photo: Oded Karni
Scorers for Ramla:
Dangerfield 22, Cannon 21, Baron 19, Hressler 5, Eisner 3.
Scorers for Ashdod:
Vivians 22, Hightower 15, Boone 13, Cohen 8, Dayan 5, Presley 3, Shea 3.
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