After 18 rounds, the regular season has ended. This 3rd round thing
isn’t
really what you call “playoffs”, but it’s close enough to warrant an
article
like this. The big story this year was the phenomenon that is Ramla,
who
cruised through the season winning all but one game. We’re not used to
seeing such dominance in our league, and some say Ramla ruined the
competition, but Ramla deserves much credit for putting together a near
perfect season and they look to be well on their way to dethrone the 3
time
champs from Ramat Hasharon.
1. Elizur Ramla: 17 wins, 1 loss
There is no doubt Ramla is the best team in the league. Excellent
posts,
smart wings, two point guards who complement each other perfectly, deep
bench and most importantly – amazing consistency. We’ve seen
star-studded
teams in our league before, but nobody played with such determination
every
week and just ran over anything in its path. Last year’s heartbreaking
loss
at the Championship finals fueled Ramla through out this season and
basically set them apart from other great teams. It’s hard to believe
anything could stop Ramla from accomplishing their goal this season,
and if
they indeed win it all, other teams could find comfort in the fact
Ramla
won’t be this hungry next year.
Biggest Win: In round 5 Ramla trailed on the road for three quarters
but
tightened their D at the end to beat who was then an even opponent,
Motzkin
with Nakia Sanford, 77-72.
Most Surprising Loss: Well, there was only one. It was very surprising.
In
round 17 a routine visit to Petah Tikva turned into Ramla’s only loss,
83-80.
Bottom Line: Take no prisoners.
2. Maccabi Ramat Hen: 14 wins, 4 losses
Ramat Hen had a great season. Other than Ramla, Ramat Hen is the only
team
that didn’t replace players this year and it’s no coincidence that
they’re
2nd. Head coach Eli Rabi built a short but dangerous team over the
summer
around three awesome foreigners – Tawona Alhaleem, Edwina Brown and
Plenette
Pierson. Adding Ornit Shwartz during the season gave Ramat Hen much
needed
help in the aggressiveness department. Ramat Hen only lost to the other
three top teams this year, only lost once at home and looks on the
right
track to the finals after knocking on the door for the past two
seasons.
Biggest Win: In round 4 Ramat Hen handed Haifa/Motzkin its first loss
of the
season, 99-88. The 11
point gap was enough to give Ramat Hen the tiebreaker edge that granted
them
the 2nd place.
Most Surprising Loss: In round 5, just a week after the Motzkin win,
Ramat
Hen fell apart in a big game at Ramat Hasharon. It ended 89-79 but it
looked
like a 25 point blowout.
Bottom Line: The #1 scoring team in the league, consistent and
successful.
3. Hapoel Haifa/Motzkin: 14 wins, 4 losses
At the start of the season, Motzkin had a lineup that could beat
anybody.
During the season they had to part with Nakia Sanford, who was a huge
piece
of the puzzle. They brought Danielle Crockrom instead but she bailed
after a
month. Despite it all, Adan Inbar’s crew proved they are a real
contender
and had a wonderful year.
Motzkin eliminated Ramat Hasharon from the Israeli cup, gave Ramla two
tough
games and added lots of interest to the league. Motzkin deserve much
credit
for smart personnel decisions, including snatching Laine Selwyn who is
the
best PG in the league. Maybe their success this year will convince some
talented Israelis to sign up north, since for some reason Motzkin
suffers
from a real shortage in that department compared to everyone else.
Biggest Win: In round 17 Motzkin had to win in Ramat Hasharon to finish
3rd.
Ramat Hasharon was in the same exact position but Motzkin wanted it
more and
won 72-67.
Most Surprising Loss: Motzkin only lost to the other three top teams,
and
neither loss was a shocker, however the home loss to Ramat Hasharon in
round
8, 77-75, was the most disappointing for them.
Bottom Line: A real breath of fresh air.
4. Ramat Hasharon: 12 wins, 6 losses
Before we go into the soap opera that is Ramat Hasharon this season, I
must
first point out that Aluma Goren, who lost sight in her left eye last
year,
came back stronger than ever. Goren didn’t look this good in years as
she
averaged 7.8 points per game and led the league in assists with 5.3 per
game.
No less than eight foreigners wore the red uniforms this season, three
of
them still are, and one didn’t stay long enough to break a sweat. But
we
won’t go there again, and just sum up the foreigner mess in Ramat
Hasharon
in two sentences: Gunta Basko is the best thing to happen to Ramat
Hasharon
this season, and there’s a limit on how many times you can rebuild a
team on
the fly. Ramat Hasharon did not imagine they’d have to replace
foreigners
this year as well, and when they decided to start making changes they
made
some wrong choices.
In the six games since the roster became final Ramat Hasharon looked
tired
at times and not determined enough, but they’re still talented and
shouldn’t
be written off. Also, Orna Ostfeld and co. deserve credit for their
performance in the Europe Cup which ended a hair away from the quarter
finals, while other Israeli teams gave up in advance.
Biggest Win: This was Varbanova’s first game with Ramat Hasharon’s
un-gelled
squad, but in round 8 they showed lots of character with a 77-75 win in
Motzkin.
Most Surprising Loss: Definitely the loss in Jerusalem in round 10,
74-68.
Bottom Line: Not their year.
5. Bnei Yehuda: 10 wins, 8 losses
Bnei Yehuda stormed out of the gates winning six of their first seven
games
and spent a few good weeks in 2nd place, after the club went belly up
in the
offseason and returned to life a few short weeks prior to the start of
the
season. Bnei Yehuda then slowly returned to their natural position in
the
middle of the pack, but still finished 5th thanks to their hot start.
There is no doubt Bnei Yehuda contributed a lot to the league this
year, in
terms of interest and as a place for young talent to develop as Hila
Yizhar
& Inbal Mizrachi flourished there this season.
Biggest Win: In round 3 in Ramat Hasharon, Leigh Aziz & DeTrina White
fought
Michelle Snow hard as Bnei Yehuda pulled off a 77-72 win.
Most Surprising Loss: Bnei Yehuda only lost one game to a team ranked
beneath them, as they dropped an overtime game to Raanana at home,
92-90.
Bottom Line: Topped all expectations.
6. Hapoel Petah Tikva: 8 wins, 10 losses
The new comers had a respectable season, but can feel a little
disappointed
mainly due to their record in games decided by five points or less –
five
losses and one win. However, that single win came against big bad
Ramla, and
clinched Petah Tikva a playoff berth. Midseason changes at the coach
and
center position helped Petah Tikva gradually lift their level of play,
with
the peak coming against Ramla. The last loss in Raanana didn’t change
anything in the standings but left a sour taste, which Petah Tikva will
try
to erase starting today.
Biggest Win: Round 16, 83-80 over Ramla. Nuff said.
Most Surprising Loss: In round 14 Petah Tikva brought their new and
improved
lineup to Bnei Yehuda who was struggling at the time, but got blown out
88-68.
Bottom Line: Nice debut with a playoff spot and one incredible upset.
7. Maccabi Raanana: 7 wins, 11 losses
Raanana had a talented bunch of young Israelis led by the excellent
Ednisha
Curry, but their downfall was the rest of the foreigners. They kept
Susan
Murray around way too long, they let the great Michelle Greco slip away
way
too soon, and their tough D wasn’t enough to close out games after
that. The
turning point of the season was replacing Greco, who scored nearly 25
points
per game and led Raanana to 3 wins in 5 games, with Lili Latinovic.
Raanana
only beat Holon in their next six games and played themselves out of
the
playoffs. Beating Petah Tikva in the last second of the season,
literally,
couldn’t fix the damage that was done.
Biggest Win: In round 10 Raanana won in Bnei Yehuda with a Greco game
winner
in overtime, 92-90. It was Raanana’s 5th win and they looked on their
way
up.
Most Surprising Loss: In round 16 Raanana came back from 14 points down
to
force overtime, but lost 86-84 in Jerusalem and kissed the playoffs
goodbye.
Bottom Line: Too many bad personnel decisions.
8. Maccabi Ashdod: 4 wins, 14 losses
Last year’s surprise team saw its budget cut despite last year’s
success.
Coach Tal Arieh managed to keep his great point guard, Kenya Larkin,
but
didn’t have much luck with the other two foreigners. The team wasn’t as
balanced as last year, and signing Lenae Williams mid season couldn’t
change
the direction in which the team was headed. Without a real shot at the
playoffs Ashdod’s youngsters got quality minutes and put up a good
fights
versus .500 teams and above.
Biggest Win: In round 5 Ashdod got an 80-76 win in Jerusalem and
distant
itself from the bottom for good.
Most Surprising Loss: In round 4 Ashdod hosted Ramat Hasharon and led
by 16
with five minutes to play, but dropped it at the end 85-83.
Bottom Line: Better luck next year.
9. ASA Jerusalem: 4 wins, 14 losses
Jerusalem played most of the season with 2 Americans, 2 bosmans and one
Ayelet Cohen. They were mighty close to upset wins in Ramat Hasharon
and
Bnei Yehuda, and surprised Raanana & Ramat Hasharon at home. Overall we
didn’t expect much from the new comers, and they had a decent season in
comparison to their prior showings in division I.
Biggest Win: In round 10 Jerusalem got its 2nd win of the year at the
expense of the three time defending champs of Ramat Hasharon.
Most Surprising Loss: In round 4, Jerusalem lost a very winnable game
to
Ashdod at home, 80-76.
Bottom Line: Finally stayed in the league.
10. Elizur Holon: 0 wins, 18 losses
Six games in Holon’s unfortunate season ended in a margin of 10 points
or
less, and the Holon kids even led in the closing minutes of some of
those
games. Regardless, this season didn’t add any respect to the club or
the
league as a whole. One can only hope that Holon, who’s been relegated
for
the second straight year, will stay in division II until they’re strong
enough to represent themselves with dignity.
Bottom Line: Sad.