From the beginning, in light of the opposite momentum in which Hapoel Yerushalayim and Hapoel Holon are in recent times, it seemed that the series between them might be one-sided. But the old rivalry, along with the magic that comes with the playoffs, made at least the first game in the quarter-finals fascinating and exciting, to the point that overtime was required to separate them.
In the end, the Jerusalemites kept the home advantage, winning 86:93 at the end of a long evening full of racing heartbeats. In light of the surprising ability of the purples, it was necessary for Meliwai Randolph (30 points), Speedy Smith (17 points and 10 assists) and their friends to step up defensively in order not to lose; They did not score a field goal in the last six minutes of legal time, and gave the right push after falling behind in overtime (81:81).
“The tactical things didn’t work, but my players are winners, and have proven many times that they know how to win games,” concluded Jerusalem’s coach, Yonatan Alon. “Holon came to hit and bite, and was much more aggressive than us. I give her credit for that, and we had to respond. We made life difficult for ourselves and made mistakes that were not committed to reality. Liwai will receive the compliments at the end of the year, now he has to work for them. But he is already at the top The players who were here.”
Randolph himself added: “I don’t get stressed by shots in the final minutes. I just take a breath, do what I do in training or in the fifth minute and stay calm.”
Participated in the preparation of the news: Ohad Scheuerman
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