Maccabi Israel Basketball Tournament Finals Set

The Maccabi Israel basketball tournament, featuring top youth teams, is culminating this weekend at the Maccabi Village in Ramat Gan. In the boys' division, Maccabi Rishon LeZion and Maccabi Omer Rehovot emerged as finalists after winning their respective groups. Rishon LeZion secured first place in Group A by defeating Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv and Maccabi Yasha Ashdod. Omer Rehovot topped Group B with victories over Maccabi Haifa, Bnei Herzliya, and Maccabi Modi'in Reut.

In the girls' division, Maccabi Ra'anana finished first in their group with three wins, followed by Maccabi Tel Aviv, who had two wins and one loss. Ramat Hasharon and Maccabi Haifa will compete for third place. The finals for both boys and girls will take place on Saturday at the Maccabi Village arena.

The tournament, which includes 11 Maccabi clubs from across Israel, also serves as a training camp. Participants are staying at the Maccabi Village hotel and engaging in professional and social activities. The event is a collaboration between Maccabi Israel, the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Basketball Association, and the Women's Premier League management.

Liron Cohen, Vice President of Maccabi Israel and former captain of the Israeli national team, described the tournament as a "resounding success" and expressed excitement about its return after being postponed in recent years due to the war. She highlighted the high professional standards and the opportunity for young athletes to bond. A festive evening event was planned for Saturday, including a communal meal, a panel discussion with Maccabi Israel CEO Naor Galili, Cohen herself, and former Israeli national team captain Amir Shallach, who is also an assistant coach for the Israeli national football team.

The winning boys' and girls' teams will each receive advanced physical fitness testing valued at NIS 10,000, sponsored by Vertex. The tournament's most outstanding male and female players will receive NIS 300 gift vouchers from Energym for the Maccabi Market online store.