Maccabi Tel Aviv wanted to recover quickly from the painful defeat to Baskonia in the Euroleague and on paper the meeting against Hapoel Eilat with the missing lineup, came as an invitation for Oded Ketch and his apprentices as the Yellows cruised last night (Saturday) to an easy away victory 74:96 over the Southerners of Ariel Beit Lahemi.
On the eve of the match, the club chose to rest Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown for the first time this season as part of the league, which in retrospect turned out to be a correct decision and as such did not affect the game.
"I'm satisfied with the victory, we were able to divide the minutes and give players who haven't played so far to play a lot of minutes. Eilat are short and lacking players so it was very important for me to maintain a high pace," noted Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Oded Ketch at the end.
Rafi Manko, who recorded a wonderful game with 14 points, shared his feelings at the end: "We came after a difficult game for us in Baskonia, something that for us in the club must not happen, and I am happy that we knew how to get back to the rhythm and win. At halftime, the professional team refined a number of points for us to improve for the second half and I am happy that we were able to carry them out." .
The club complimented the performance of Yeftah Ziv, who once again got the opportunity in the local league and returned his coach's trust with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
"A professional will start. It's not easy in terms of pace and uncertainty that you don't know when you'll play. I demand a lot more from my center backs than other positions, but it's a process and it's on its way," Ketch noted.
The team was happy to see five yellow players who scored in double figures, especially in light of the absence of Brown and Baldwin.
"This is a team with a different configuration that no one has seen yet. They are our two leading guards but this is basketball and we try to do the same things they do even when they are not playing," Ketch added.
Now the Yellows will begin preparations for the intriguing Euroleague game on Thursday, when the Spanish Barcelona will arrive to host Menorah Mivathim Hall.
"The balance of power is clear, but we are playing at home. We will have to play a perfect game on both sides of the field, it's a big challenge for us," Ketch concluded.
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