Maccabi Tel Aviv breezes into Winner Cup semis with balanced scoring output against Kiryat Ata

Maccabi Tel Aviv faced no difficulties on Sunday evening in their first Winner Cup game, crushing Ironi Kiryat Ata 109-61 in the quarterfinals in Hadera. The Yellows, who came into the matchup following a frustrating loss to ASVEL and ahead of a EuroLeague double-header week, wrapped things up early and advanced to the final four, where an intriguing matchup against Hapoel Jerusalem awaits them.

The opening was still slightly scattered for Oded Kattash's squad, which turned the ball over and allowed Kiryat Ata to stay close, but as the minutes ticked by, the Yellows found their rhythm. An 18-3 run led by Daniel Theis and T.J. Leaf completely changed the picture and shifted control into Maccabi's hands.

In the second quarter, the margin became unbridgeable. Maccabi won those ten minutes 36-18, with the offense flowing and Kattash's depth on full display. Kiryat Ata struggled to keep up, while the Yellows kept their foot on the gas and turned the second half into an extended stretch of garbage time.

Kattash took advantage of the large lead to divide the minutes and utilize a wide rotation in preparation for the upcoming heavy workload in the EuroLeague. Theis led the scorers with 15 points, Bonzie Colson added 14, while Jimmy Clark used the minutes to shake off rust, finishing with 11 points and 7 assists.

After a one-sided evening, the Yellows can now turn their attention to an important European week, which will begin with a crucial game against Besiktas and conclude with a particularly challenging matchup with Panathinaikos.

Scored for Maccabi Tel Aviv: Daniel Theis 15, Bonzie Colson 14, John DiBartolomeo 13, T.J. Leaf 12, Jimmy Clark and Amit Ebo 11 each, Keaton Wallace 10, Roman Sorkin 8, Will Rayman and Yam Madar 6 each, Armando Bacot 3.

Scored for Ironi Kiryat Ata: David Green 15, Daniel Sharon 12, Yuval Levin 9, Akil Mitchell and Maxim Filonenko 8 each, Oz Huli 7, Holland Woods 2.

Quarter 1:

Kattash opened with Jimmy Clark, John DiBartolomeo, Bonzie Colson, T.J. Leaf, and Daniel Theis. On the other side, Bentov's starting lineup included Oz Huli, Yuval Levin, David Green, Holland Woods, and Akil Mitchell. Levin and DiBartolomeo traded three-pointers at the start, Green made it 6-5 for the visitors, and John DiBartolomeo put an end to a string of misses to make it 8-6 for the Yellows. Three-pointers continued to fall on both sides, Clark warmed up his shooting hand, and Levin kept Kiryat Ata close. The Yellows looked unfocused, Madar turned the ball over, and Filonenko raced for an uncontested dunk to transfer the lead to his team (16-13). Sorkin closed the scattered quarter with a layup, making it 18-18 at the end of the first quarter.

Quarter 2:

A 7-1 Yellow run led by Wallace gave Kattash a six-point lead at the start of the quarter. The Northerners got stuck, the Yellows got into a rhythm, and Theis knocked down a three-pointer from outside to push it to 31-19. An 18-3 run by the Tel Avivians over four minutes was stopped by Mitchell, but Theis and Leaf continued to celebrate against the Northerners' lax defense (38-23). Maccabi's lead climbed to 18 with a third three-pointer from DiBartolomeo. Both teams continued to exchange baskets until the halftime buzzer, sending Kattash to the break up 54-36. A dominant 36-18 quarter for Maccabi, with DiBartolomeo on 10 points, and Leaf and Theis with 8 each. Green had 10 on the other side, while Levin and Huli had 7 each.

Quarter 3:

Yam Madar increased the lead to 20 points, and Sorkin, with a wonderful move, threw the ball to himself off the backboard and finished with an easy layin (62-36). Just four minutes into the quarter, Woods scored the first points for the Northerners, but the gap continued to swell thanks to Leaf and DiBartolomeo (67-38). A huge block by Clark ended with two points from the foul line by Theis on the other end, pushing the Yellow lead to 30. Rayman and Ebo joined the three-point party with the champion's tenth triple against an answerless Kiryat Ata (79-42). At the end of another one-sided quarter in which Bentov and his players scored just 8 points, it was 79-44 for the Yellows.

Quarter 4:

Ebo showed flashes and brought his tally to 11 points as the margin crossed the 40-point mark (90-48). Colson scored the Yellows' 100th point on a post-up, Wallace and Leaf continued to pile on points, and at the end of a long garbage time, the Yellows came out on top, finishing 109-61.

In the evening's early game, Hapoel Eilat recorded its first victory of the 2026/27 season after a fully controlled performance against Maccabi Ashdod, in a matchup where it set the tempo from the very first moment and never relinquished the lead. Oren Aharoni's squad opened up a double-digit gap in the first quarter and later expanded it to as much as 23 points, with James Dickey standing out with 17 points and eight rebounds. Ashdod, which is still searching for its first win in the Winner Cup, struggled greatly offensively and finished shooting just 30 percent from the field, while Ben Callahan-Gold and Shawn Dawson were the standouts in its ranks. Eilat will meet Hapoel Holon in the placement games for 11th-12th places, while Ashdod will face Maccabi Ramat Gan for 13th-14th places.