Hapoel Tel Aviv Edges Ness Ziona 79-76 to Reach Winner Cup Final

Hapoel Tel Aviv advanced to the Winner Cup final on Saturday evening after a hard-fought 79-76 victory over Ironi Ness Ziona in a tense semifinal matchup. The Reds will now await the winner of the second semifinal between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem.

Itoudis Praises Character and Solidarity

"We wanted to be in the final of this tournament, and now we will try to win it for the fans, the owners, and for ourselves," said head coach Dimitris Itoudis after the game. "As we expected, it was a very tough game. Ness Ziona brought in good players and good coaches over the summer, and they have players who have already played in the EuroLeague. This is a team that will be very competitive."

"We knew who we were facing and we didn't underestimate them. We knew we lacked practices and they had more. We played with what we had, created open shots, and in the end found a way to win," Itoudis noted.

Corsaro Regrets Missed Opportunities

On the other side, Ironi Ness Ziona head coach Paul Corsaro was disappointed with the defeat but satisfied with his players' performance. "It was a high-level basketball game. Credit to Hapoel Tel Aviv, they are a good and well-coached team. Our players fought, but we didn't shoot well enough from the free-throw line. We lost by three points and missed nine free throws.

Corsaro praised Josh Christopher for his ongoing development, noting his 17 points and four assists, while emphasizing that the team will focus on continuous improvement as the season progresses.