Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv returns to their State Cup journey on Thursday evening as they'll face Hapoel Holon in the tournament's Semifinals (21:10, Live on Sport5 - Channel 55). The Yellow & Blue, who haven't won the cup since 2017, will attempt to take one step closer to the club's 45th domestic trophy versus Holon, who seeks to win their third cup.

Maccabi and Holon matched up twice this season, and both tight contests delivered a  high-level of play. The Purples came on top in the Israeli Winner League, but in the Winner Cup Finals, Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad didn't miss the chance to capture its first title of the season with an 86:84 victory.

"Even though we lifted back-to-back championship titles since I took over at Maccabi, we didn't win the State Cup, and for us, it's an excellent opportunity to fight for this trophy", Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos at the pre-game press conference. "Maccabi always has the motivation to win as many trophies as possible because winning is the D.N.A of the club".



"Still, it's not always possible because we have very good opponents, and as we all know, the cup is the competition of surprises, and each team has 25% to win it all. Tomorrow we need to be very concentrated, play our game, stick to the plan and follow it against Holon, a team we respect after playing them twice this season".

"I never take it personally", answered Sfairopoulos about individually not winning the cup as a Maccabi coach. "My philosophy is, clubs are more potent than the persons representing it. The clubs will be here for years to come, while individuals move all the time. The sport's protagonists are the players, not the coaches, but I'll always do what's best for the club".

"We had two tight clashes against Holon this season, with great offensive displays by both clubs, and I expect that on Thursday", Said Yovel Zoosman towards the matchup. "Each game is different, the games against them are in the past, and other than learning from them, there isn't much we can take out of them. We will try to stop them on a low score and play to our strengths and weaknesses while bringing out our energies and aggressiveness".

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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv demonstrated a heart of a champion effort on Thursday night, clawing back from a deep hole midway through the fourth quarter to come up with an 87:85 overtime win over Hapoel Holon in the State Cup Semi-Finals. The Yellow & Blue advance to their first State Cup Final in three years as they are scheduled to face Maccabi Rishon Le'Zion that beat Hapoel Jerusalem in the opposing Semi-Finals.

Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad began the game well, going to Zizic inside, but Holon responded and took over till midway through the fourth quarter. At that moment, Maccabi proved what they are made of, returning with tremendous intensity. 

Oz Blayzer led the Yellow & Blue with a fantastic performance with 19 points, three rebounds, and three steals, most of them coming in money time. Scottie Wilbekin (15 points), Yovel Zoosman (13 points, eight rebounds), Othello Hunter (11 points), and Ante Zizic (11 points) contributed double-digit scores, and John DiBartolomeo played a vital role on the defensive end with five steals and crucial free throws.



Game Recap:

The Yellow & Blue started with Scottie Wilbekin, Yovel Zoosman, Elijah Bryant, Angelo Caloiaro, and Ante Zizic. Simultaneously, the Purples opened with Tyrus Mcgee, Willy Workman, Chris Johnson, Maxime De Zeeuw, and Isaiah Miles.

Maccabi began the game aggressive on both ends of the court, making Holon shoot tough shots at the end of the shot clock while taking advantage of Zizic inside, who led an 11:0 run with back to back buckets and an assist to Zoosman, who knocked down a shot from deep, 11:3. 

Mcgee and Miles carried Stefanos Dedas's squad back into the game with a 12:2 stretch tying the game at 15, but Othello Hunter's six points off the bench and an assist to Caloiaro, who slammed it down with two hands, gave the Yellow & Blue a 2 point edge after 10 minutes, 20:18.



The second quarter remained tight and intense as Oz Blayzer scored five consecutive points for Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad, and Zizic continued his dominant performance in the paint with three straight baskets inside, 31:27. 

Ex Maccabi Guy Pnini led Holon to a 9:0 run hitting back to back triples, providing them a 5 point margin, but Bryant and Hunter reduced the edge down to 1, 35:36 at halftime.

Dedas's squad opened the second half with two straight three-pointers by Pnini and C.J. Harris stopping Maccabi scoreless for the first three minutes of the third quarter, 35:42. Wilbekin scored his first points of the evening, but Holon continued their hot night from behind the yard with Harris leading a 9:2 stretch, which opened a double-digit margin, 38:53.



Wilbekin and Blayzer knocked down triples after a Sfairopoulos timeout, and DiBartolomeo, with multiple efficient defensive plays, led to points on the other end, reducing the edge down to 11 heading into the final 10 minutes, 50:61.

Both teams couldn't find the rim for the first 2:30 minutes of the final quarter, but Pnini and Miles scored five straight points ramping the margin up to 17, 50:67. The Israeli champions increased the intensity on the defensive end, started their incredible comeback, and changed the game's momentum. 

Bryant initiated a 15:2 run with five consecutive points, Zoosman drilled a shot from behind the arc, and Blayzer converted a three-point play diminishing the Purples margin all the way down to 4, 65:69.



Wilbekin scored Maccabi's final 7 points of the quarter, including an incredible floater, which completed the comeback, tying the game at 72 with 51 seconds left. DiBartolomeo stole the ball on the defensive end giving Wilbekin one last ball before the final whistle, but his shot rimmed out, and the game went to overtime. 

The extra five minutes opened with Blayzer, who attacked the offensive board and tipped in two as he was fouled, converting a three-point possession. Zoosman also showed up in overtime, scoring three back to back baskets, which settled with a key midrange jumper, 84:79. 

DiBartolomeo handled the pressure and connected from the free-throw line to secure the victory. Maccabi advances to the State Cup Final after a heroic win over Holon in overtime, 87:85.

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