Maccabi Tel Aviv Sweeps Holon to Reach Israeli League Final

Maccabi Tel Aviv advanced to the Basketball Premier League final on Friday with a convincing 89-71 home win over Hapoel Holon at Menora Mivtachim Arena, completing a clean 3-0 sweep in the semifinal series. The victory sends the reigning powerhouse into a title matchup against city rival Hapoel Tel Aviv, setting up an all-Tel Aviv championship series.

Despite a poor night from three-point range, just 8 makes on 29 attempts, Oded Katash’s team controlled the paint throughout and built a decisive lead in the second half. Holon stayed competitive through the first two quarters, but after halftime it could not match Maccabi’s pace and faded without much resistance.

Maccabi played without Tamir Blatt, who has a minor calf muscle tear and is considered doubtful for the final. Jalen Hoard led the scorers with 18 points, while Jimmy Clark returned to the lineup after about two and a half weeks out and contributed 14 points and 8 assists. Zach Hankins added 14 points and Roman Sorkin finished with 13.

The frontcourt also made a major impact, with Will Rayman posting 8 points and 10 rebounds as Maccabi dominated the glass and the interior. For Holon, Jordan Wright scored 14 points and Adama Sanogo added 12 points and 7 rebounds, but the purple side could not solve Maccabi’s superiority and ended the season with a third straight loss in the series. Because Maccabi finished the regular season first, it will have home-court advantage in the final.