Maccabi Tel Aviv Faces Kiryat Ata in Winner Cup Quarterfinals

Maccabi Tel Aviv is set to compete in the Winner Cup semifinals, facing Kiryat Ata in the quarterfinals at the Enerbox Arena in Hadera. This marks the fourth consecutive year the two teams have met at this stage of the tournament, with Maccabi Tel Aviv advancing to the semifinals in all previous three encounters. Maccabi, the record holder with 11 titles in this preseason tournament, aims to secure their first title in the current campaign. They recently defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 101-83 in the "Social Super Cup," where Roman Sorkin led the scoring with 16 points. However, Maccabi enters the match against Kiryat Ata following a 74-84 loss to Villeurbanne in their EuroLeague season opener.

Last season, Maccabi Tel Aviv won all four of their matchups against Ironi Kiryat Ata across all competitions, with an aggregate score difference of 83 points. In contrast, Kiryat Ata secured their spot in the quarterfinals after a dramatic overtime victory against Hapoel HaEmek, winning 99-98. Kiryat Ata managed to overcome an 18-point deficit during the game and held the lead for less than a minute, including overtime. Daniel Sharon was the top scorer for Kiryat Ata with 22 points, while Holland Woods added 21 points and seven assists, and captain Tomer Assaf contributed 20 points. The team shot 50% from three-point range but struggled from the free-throw line, making only 9 of 19 attempts.

While Maccabi dominated their previous season's encounters, their Winner Cup quarterfinal match against Kiryat Ata last year was a close affair, ending 93-91 in favor of Maccabi. Loni Walker, no longer with Maccabi, scored 24 points in that game, while Malik Hall, now with Hapoel HaEmek, had 18 points and seven rebounds for the opposing side. The starting lineups for Maccabi Tel Aviv include Jimmy Clark, John DiBartolomeo, T.J. Leaf, Daniel Theis, and Bonzie Colson. Kiryat Ata's starters are Oz Holley, Yuval Levin, Holland Woods, David Green, and Brendan Madley Bacon.