National League Round 9: E.Ashkelon lose their first game against I.Nahariya

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most surprising game was the first loss of E.Ashkelon (8-1) on the court of eighth ranked I.Nahariya on Tuesday night. Visitors were rolled over by I.Nahariya 95-64. It ended at the same time the eight-game winning streak of E.Ashkelon. I.Nahariya forced 20 E.Ashkelon turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The former international point guard Yogev Ohayon (189-1987) stepped up and scored 14 points and 9 assists for the winners and American power forward Romello White (203-1998, college: Ole Miss) chipped in 13 points and 8 rebounds. The best for the losing side was American forward Dakarai Tucker (196-1994, college: Utah) with 11 points and 6 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. I.Nahariya (5-4) moved-up to sixth place. E.Ashkelon at the other side still keeps top position with one game lost. They share it with M.Rishon. I.Nahariya are looking forward to face higher ranked E.Netanya (#4) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. E.Ashkelon will play against E.Shomron and is hoping to win this game.
Important game to mention about took place in . Fifth ranked M.Ma'ale Adum. (6-3) saved a 1-point victory on the road edging 11th ranked E.Shomron (3-6) 85-84 on Tuesday evening. Guest team only slightly avoided a big embarassment. Canadian center Eddie Ekiyor (206-1997, college: Carleton) nailed 34 points (!!!) (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) for the winning side and Duane Johnson accounted for 11 points and 9 rebounds. M.Ma'ale Adum.'s coach used entire bench in such tough game. Gal Sterenberg (202-1999) came up with 17 points and 6 rebounds for E.Shomron in the defeat. M.Ma'ale Adum. moved-up to fourth place, which they share with E.Netanya. Newly promoted E.Shomron dropped to the tenth position with six games lost. They share it with Ramat Hash. and M.Haifa. M.Ma'ale Adum. will play against league's second-placed Maccabi Rishon in Rishon Le-Zion in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. E.Shomron will play on the road against the league's leader E.Ashkelon (#1) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
An interesting game took place in Ramat Gan where higher ranked M.Ramat Gan (4-5) was upset on its own court by thirteenth ranked Ramat Hash. (3-6) 86-82 on Tuesday. The best player for the winners was Tyler Wideman who had a double-double by scoring 24 points and 12 rebounds. Ramat Hash.'s coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the other side the best for losing team was Kevin Capers who recorded 17 points and 7 rebounds. Ramat Hash. moved-up to tenth place, which they share with M.Haifa and E.Shomron. Loser M.Ramat Gan dropped to the seventh position with five games lost. They share it with M.Rehovot and M.Raanana. Ramat Hash. will meet at home higher ranked H.Afula (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. M.Ramat Gan will play against H.Ramat Gan (#13) in Givataim and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 9: M.Haifa was destroyed by H.Afula on the opponent's court 92-69. M.Rehovot managed to outperform M.Raanana in a home game 82-74. H.Ramat Gan was rolled over M.Rishon on the road 104-71.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 13 points, 5 assists and 9 steals by Guy Palatin of M.Rishon.

H.Afula - M.Haifa 92-69

Very expected game when 10th ranked M.Haifa (3-6) was crushed on the road by third ranked H.Afula (7-2) 92-69 on Tuesday. H.Afula outrebounded M.Haifa 45-30 including a 33-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists comparing to just 12 passes made by M.Haifa's players. The best player for the winners was American Jimmy Hall (203-1994, college: Kent St.) who scored 28 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Naturalized Argentinian swingman Lucas Goldenberg (190-1993) chipped in 6 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was naturalized American power forward Eli Abaev (203-1998, college: FGCU) who recorded 8 points and 10 rebounds and American forward DeSean Parsons (201-1995, college: Portland St.) added 8 points and 8 rebounds respectively. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. H.Afula maintains third place with 7-2 record behind leader E.Ashkelon. Loser M.Haifa keeps the tenth position with six games lost. They share it with Ramat Hash. and E.Shomron. H.Afula will meet Ramat Hash. (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. M.Haifa will play against M.Rehovot and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
H.Afula: J.Hall 28+5reb+4ast, K.Zorno 11+5reb+2ast, N.Daniel 10+2reb+3ast, R.Netzia 9+3reb+1ast, T.Spector 8+1reb+1ast, T.Fitzpatrick 7+9reb+3ast
M.Haifa: A.Shoutvin 11, A.Gilder 10+4reb, D.Parsons 8+8reb+1ast, E.Abaev 8+10reb+1ast, D.Koperberg 7+1reb, D.Sharp 7+1reb+1ast

M.Ramat Gan - Ramat Hash. 82-86

An interesting game took place in Ramat Gan where higher ranked M.Ramat Gan (4-5) was upset on its own court by thirteenth ranked Ramat Hash. (3-6) 86-82 on Tuesday. The best player for the winners was American Tyler Wideman (203-1995, college: Butler) who had a double-double by scoring 24 points and 12 rebounds. His fellow American import point guard Diante Watkins (175-1990, college: RMU) chipped in 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Ramat Hash.'s coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Kevin Capers (188-1993, college: FSC, agency: BIG) who recorded 17 points and 7 rebounds and naturalized American guard Daniel Rosenbaum (195-1997, college: Pomona-Pitzer) added 22 points respectively. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Ramat Hash. moved-up to tenth place, which they share with M.Haifa and E.Shomron. Loser M.Ramat Gan dropped to the seventh position with five games lost. They share it with M.Rehovot and M.Raanana. Ramat Hash. will meet at home higher ranked H.Afula (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. M.Ramat Gan will play against H.Ramat Gan (#13) in Givataim and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Ramat Hash.: T.Wideman 24+12reb, D.Watkins 16+5reb+5ast, A.Ebo 12+5reb+5ast, Y.Yam 11+2reb+3ast, G.Ferber 9+3reb+1ast, O.Hai 8+2reb+3ast
M.Ramat Gan: D.Rosenbaum 22+3reb, K.Capers 17+7reb+3ast, E.Hirsh 11+4reb+2ast, M.Jefferson 10+9reb+3ast, B.Altit 9+5reb+1ast, E.Alber 8+5reb+2ast

E.Shomron - M.Ma'ale Adum. 84-85

Important game to mention about took place in . Fifth ranked M.Ma'ale Adum. (6-3) saved a 1-point victory on the road edging 11th ranked E.Shomron (3-6) 85-84 on Tuesday evening. Guest team only slightly avoided a big embarassment. M.Ma'ale Adum. players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. Canadian center Eddie Ekiyor (206-1997, college: Carleton) nailed 34 points (!!!) (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) for the winning side and American forward Duane Johnson (201-1991, college: ESU) accounted for 11 points and 9 rebounds. M.Ma'ale Adum.'s coach used entire bench in such tough game. Gal Sterenberg (202-1999) came up with 17 points and 6 rebounds and American guard Raijon Kelly (193-1993, college: Angelo St.) added 12 points and 5 assists respectively for E.Shomron in the defeat. Five E.Shomron players scored in double figures. M.Ma'ale Adum. moved-up to fourth place, which they share with E.Netanya. Newly promoted E.Shomron dropped to the tenth position with six games lost. They share it with Ramat Hash. and M.Haifa. M.Ma'ale Adum. will play against league's second-placed Maccabi Rishon in Rishon Le-Zion in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. E.Shomron will play on the road against the league's leader E.Ashkelon (#1) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
M.Ma'ale Adum.: E.Ekiyor 34+4reb+3ast, J.Cohen 13+2reb+2ast, D.Johnson 11+9reb+3ast, A.Derhy 9+3reb+2ast, I.Ben 7+2reb, I.Shabat 4+1reb+9ast
E.Shomron: S.Gal 17+6reb+3ast, R.Kelly 12+3reb+5ast, A.Amit 10+1reb, I.Flaisher 10+7reb+1ast, E.Shulman 10+2reb+7ast, K.Stone 10+5reb+1ast

I.Nahariya - E.Ashkelon 95-64

The most surprising game was the first loss of E.Ashkelon (8-1) on the court of eighth ranked I.Nahariya on Tuesday night. Visitors were rolled over by I.Nahariya 95-64. It ended at the same time the eight-game winning streak of E.Ashkelon. I.Nahariya forced 20 E.Ashkelon turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The former international point guard Yogev Ohayon (189-1987) stepped up and scored 14 points and 9 assists for the winners and American power forward Romello White (203-1998, college: Ole Miss) chipped in 13 points and 8 rebounds. Four I.Nahariya players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American forward Dakarai Tucker (196-1994, college: Utah) with 11 points and 6 rebounds and naturalized Polish guard Gal Gilinski (195-1995, agency: Avi Zilberman) scored 5 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. I.Nahariya (5-4) moved-up to sixth place. E.Ashkelon at the other side still keeps top position with one game lost. They share it with M.Rishon. I.Nahariya are looking forward to face higher ranked E.Netanya (#4) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. E.Ashkelon will play against E.Shomron and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
I.Nahariya: I.Eisendorf 16+3reb, D.Drapic 15+3reb, Y.Ohayon 14+3reb+9ast, R.White 13+8reb+2ast, P.Omer 9+1reb, A.Chubrevich 8+9reb+3ast
E.Ashkelon: D.Tucker 11+6reb+1ast, G.Chen 7+1reb+1ast, T.Gipson 7+2reb, S.David 6+1reb, B.Yanir 6+2reb+1ast, B.David Omer 6+2reb+3ast

M.Rehovot - M.Raanana 82-74

There was a small surprise when ninth ranked M.Rehovot (4-5) defeated at home 7th ranked M.Raanana (4-5) 82-74 on Tuesday. M.Rehovot made 18-of-22 free shots (81.8 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was American swingman Brent Jackson (193-1994, college: Columbus St.) who scored 24 points and 6 assists. Naturalized American forward Josh Freund (204-1997, college: Roanoke) chipped in 19 points and 5 rebounds. Jackson is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four M.Rehovot players scored in double figures. M.Rehovot's coach Kobi Hasson allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Anthony Morse (206-1994, college: Tenn Tech, agency: SLN) who recorded a double-double by scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds and naturalized American Willy Workman (198-1990, college: Amherst) added 15 points and 10 rebounds respectively. M.Rehovot moved-up to seventh place, which they share with M.Ramat Gan and M.Raanana. M.Rehovot will meet M.Haifa (#11) on the road in the next round. M.Raanana will play against H.Hevel Modi'in (#14) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
M.Rehovot: B.Jackson 24+4reb+6ast, J.Freund 19+5reb+3ast, G.Shay Guy 13+5reb, A.Coleman 12+8reb+4ast, Y.Holodov 9+2reb+1ast, G.Halamish 3+1reb+3ast
M.Raanana: A.Morse 21+11reb, J.Siggers 20+2reb+4ast, W.Workman 15+10reb+2ast, H.Daniel 8+1reb, J.Lewis 6+1reb+1ast, R.Geffen 2+5reb+1ast

M.Rishon - H.Ramat Gan 104-71

Not a big story in a game in Rishon Le-Zion where 12th ranked H.Ramat Gan (2-7) was rolled over by second ranked Maccabi Rishon (8-1) 104-71 on Tuesday. Maccabi Rishon dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to H.Ramat Gan's 26. Maccabi Rishon forced 19 H.Ramat Gan turnovers. It was a great shooting night for Maccabi Rishon especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 56.3 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was American guard Isaiah Cousins (193-1994, college: Oklahoma) who scored 25 points. Power forward Jonatan Mor (204-1995) chipped in a double-double by scoring 13 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was point guard Gil Noyovitch (184-2001) who recorded 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and American guard Stedmon Lemon (198-1992, college: JCSU) added 14 points respectively. Five Maccabi Rishon and four H.Ramat Gan players scored in double figures. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Maccabi Rishon have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They used an opportunity after E.Ashkelon lost their game and moved up joining them at the top position. H.Ramat Gan lost seventh consecutive game. They dropped to the thirteenth place with seven games lost. Maccabi Rishon will meet M.Ma'ale Adum. (#5) in the next round. H.Ramat Gan will play against M.Ramat Gan (#8) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
M.Rishon: I.Cousins 25+4reb+2ast, I.Nesterenko 19+4reb, R.Buckles 16+4reb+3ast, J.Mor 13+12reb+4ast, G.Palatin 13+1reb+5ast, J.Armstrong 9+1reb+4ast
H.Ramat Gan: N.Gil 15+7reb+6ast, T.Eliad 14+2reb+2ast, S.Lemon 14+4reb+1ast, A.Shimoni 12+4reb, S.Warren 7+5reb, H.Omer 3