Maccabi Tel Aviv Edges Aris Thessaloniki in Preseason Tune-Up

Maccabi Tel Aviv secured a close 92-87 victory over Aris Thessaloniki on Friday in a preseason tournament game held in Nicosia. This marks their second win in three exhibition matches as they prepare for the upcoming season.

Maccabi Tel Aviv started the game strong, establishing a significant 15-point lead early on, fueled by Bonzie Colson's eight points in the opening minutes. Although Aris managed to narrow the deficit by the end of the first quarter, trailing 21-15, Maccabi extended their advantage to 50-37 by halftime, with strong performances from Roman Sorkin and Jaron Blossomgame.

Aris Thessaloniki mounted a comeback in the second half, with Vasilis Toliopoulos and Nenad Dimitrijevic leading the charge, reducing the deficit to just three points heading into the final quarter. The Greek team even took the lead in the fourth quarter, but Maccabi, guided by Colson and Blossomgame, regained control in the closing moments to secure the win.

A notable positive for Maccabi was the return of TJ Leaf, who played 12 minutes, scoring 4 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, and dishing out 2 assists after a six-month layoff due to injury. Colson was a standout performer for Maccabi, scoring 23 points. However, newcomers Jaron Wallace and Armando Bacot had less successful outings, scoring 4 and 0 points respectively, indicating they may need more time to adjust to European basketball and Maccabi's system.