A Maccabi comeback fit for a king

THE Maccabi Kings went into their game against the KHY Gonzastars last Monday night on top of the City of Sydney men’s division one ladder with back-toback wins. But they got off to a slow start against their taller opponents, trailing by 15-30 after just 10 minutes of play, and by 17 points at half-time. Things got physical at the start of the second half, when frequent fouls were committed by players from both teams. Despite still facing a deficit of 15 with 10 minutes remaining, the Kings lifted, and straight after a timeout called by coach Ben Knight, they nailed four threepointers in a row, including three by forward Larry Wagenheim. Strong defence from the Kings was also key to their late comeback, limiting their opponents to just two points in the last five minutes. The last two minutes were nail-biting, with the scoreboard reading 49-all. A strong drive resulted in Richard Cohen scoring two free throws, but KHY responded with a two-pointer. Wagenheim then put the Kings in front by sinking a free throw with 30 seconds left, before a strong defensive possession paved the way for Cohen to ice the game at the free throw line with three seconds remaining, securing the Kings a 54-42 victory. Their captain Mikey Wagenheim credited their third straight win to
strong team chemistry, and fighting spirit. Meanwhile in the men’s Premier League, the Maccabi Lakers capitalised on their strong early season form by defeating the Dulwich Jets by 81-41 in a big round three statement, lifting them to first place. Their star guard, Marcel Ninio, top scored again for the Lakers with 27 points, with Jake Sharwood chipping in with 19.

Credit AJN