Maccabi Haifa Heat 75-Rishon LeZion 68 (7/2/2009)

Maccabi Haifa earned a home-win over Rishon LeZion, 68:75, in the 13th round of the Winner League. Ashkenazi's team remained in third place in the standings, while Rishon LeZion remained at the bottom.

In fact, Rishon LeZion appeared much better at the opening, running an offense to a quick lead, with the help of Obannon. The one taking responsibility for Haifa was Moshe Mizrahi who hit two important three-pointers, on the way to a 24-20 lead for the team from the Carmel.

The second quarter opened well for Berkovitch's team, but again, their weak defensive game led to a quick run by Haifa. Doron Perkins and his friends registered a number of great break-out offenses and got to halftime with a significant lead, 47-37.

Unlike previous quarters, Haifa looked good in the opening quarter, but throughout the game Haifa had a hard time scoring against good defense from the guests. Mossinzon enraptured the orange team with a lot of motivation, decreasing Haifa's lead to 59-55.

The fourth quarter was tied, mainly due to the fact that Perkins got injured. As Conley awakened, Rishon LeZion narrowed down the lead to 2, but a few smart decisions by Haifa by the end of the game along with missed shots from the three-point line by Rishon clinched the game at 75-68 to Haifa.