With one game to go in the regular season, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv climbed back atop the Winner League standings. The reigning champs survived a late thriller to beat Hapoel Galil Elyon 71:68 on the road, completing a regular season sweep over the northeners.
It was a tough night for the Yellows, despite leading wire to wire. Maccabi gave away a 13-point lead in the second half, and enjoyed good fortunes when Karam Mashour missed a layup that would have given Galil the lead with 7 seconds to go.
It didn't matter in the end, as Scottie Wilbekin's 16 points proved enough to give Maccabi it's 18 win of the season. On Monday, Avi Even and his men will return home to Yad Eliyahu, when Hapoel Haifa will pay a visit. Another win means first place to finish the season and home court advantage throughout the playoffs.