By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv handed Elizur Ashkelon a crushing defeat in week two of the Israeli Winner-Sal League, 100-67. Yogev Ohayon was outstanding with a double-double, 12 points (100% shooting) and 10 assists. David Logan led Maccabi's scorers with 16 points; Shawn James added 15 points and 6 rebounds. Young Itay Segev put in his first minutes and scored his first points in the pro league.
Shawn James, Ricky Hickman, Malcolm Thomas, Yogev Ohayon and team captain Guy Pnini started the game for Maccabi. They were hot from the opening whistle, going on a 10-0 run in the first minute and a half of the game. Points for the hosts gradually began trickling in, but Ohayon and James made sure they didn't accomplish much; midway through the period the score was 17-4. An intentional foul by Devin Smith allowed Ashkelon to narrow the gap sightly, 23-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Smith and David Logan combined for seven early in the second quarter to make it 35-14 after two minutes. Maccabi, under the expert leadership of Ohayon, kept up the intensity, while Ashkelon mostly spent their possessions turning the ball over. A bucket and one for Sylven Landesberg made it 47-18, and Pnini sank an off-balance fade-away in the paint at the buzzer to send the teams to the locker room at halftime with the score 54-25.
Nothing could stop the reigning Israeli League champs in the third quarter, with a dunk and a three pointer by Ohayon making it 65-27 three minutes into the period. Thanks to points by James, Maccabi's lead grew to forty, 69-29, as the team from Tel Aviv continued to score at will and defend with ease. Coach Blatt continued to work the rotation, putting teenager Itay Segev into the game for his first appearance as a pro; the youngster responded by scoring to end the game with Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeating Elizur Ashkelon 100-67.
BOXSCORE
Maccabi: Logan 16 points; James 15 points, 6 rebounds; Pnini 14 points; Ohayon 12 points, 10 assists; Hickman 10 points, 5 assists; Smith 10 points; Thomas 9 points, 7 rebounds; Landesberg 5 points; Shermadini 4 points; Segev 2 points; Roth 1 point.
Ashkelon: Dove 19 points; Lifshitz 13 points.