Hapoel Tel Aviv Advances to Winner Cup Final After Close Victory

Hapoel Tel Aviv secured a spot in the Winner Cup basketball final on Saturday evening, defeating Ironi Ness Ziona 79-76 in a closely contested match held at the Toto Hall in Holon. This marks the second consecutive year the team has reached the final. They will face the winner of the game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem.

Antonio Blakeney led Hapoel Tel Aviv with 21 points, supported by Eugene German and Ish Wainwright, who each scored 17 points. Kadeem Carrington and Tai Odiase added 7 points apiece, Max Heidegger contributed 6 points, and Bruno Caboclo scored 4 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. For Ironi Ness Ziona, Josh Christopher was the top scorer with 17 points, followed by Jackson Rowe with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Vincent Amsalem with 11 points.

Despite recent strong performances in the EuroLeague against Crvena Zvezda Belgrade and Real Madrid, Hapoel Tel Aviv allowed Ness Ziona to stay close throughout the game. Ness Ziona erased an early deficit, taking a 23-19 lead in the first quarter. Hapoel Tel Aviv regained the advantage by halftime, leading 40-37 after successful three-pointers from Wainwright and German. Ness Ziona managed to come back from a double-digit deficit in the second half, but Blakeney's clutch performance in the final moments secured the narrow victory for Hapoel Tel Aviv.