Basketball / Women's State Cup / Gritty Gourevitch helps give Elitzur Ramle third title
By Steve Klein
Veteran Ina Gourevitch propelled Elitzur Ramle to a gritty 65-61 victory over Ramat Hasharon last night, giving her team its third State Cup title. But truth be told, the shorthanded squad of eight players put up a tremendous team effort to secure the cup. With a slim 2-point lead and the game on the line, Shay Doron stole the ball and got it to Sherril Baker, who sealed the game with 17.2 seconds remaining.
The 40-year-old Gourevitch seemed determined to bring her team the title, scoring 15 first-half points, including two consecutive trifectas in the second quarter, when Ramle established a lead it wouldn't relinquish until 2:06 in the final period. She ended up with 19 points. Though she didn't score after the 3:05 mark of the third quarter, she was still a presence shutting down the lanes on defense.
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Ramat Hasharon guard Jia Perkins was a worthy match and seemed equally determined to keep her club in the game. However, her heroic 26-point performance ultimately fell short. One reason was Ramle center Michelle Snow. The 1.96-meter American used her height to full advantage with a series of blocks, including two consecutive ones during a key second-quarter possession. More importantly, she shut down Ramat Hasharon center Daliborka Vilipic, who usually gets a double-double but last night didn't score until the 4:46 mark of the third quarter and wound up with just 8 points.
Ramat Hasharon did a good job of putting pressure on Doron, but coach Eli Rabi, mindful of his short bench, rotated frequently to keep his players fresh. In the end, it took just one steal for Doron to make her most important contribution.
Overcoming Perkins
The first quarter was a series of runs. After spotting Ramle the first six points, Ramat Hasharon went on a 12-2, with Perkins accounting for half the scoring. Ramle, which was running and gunning unsuccessfully, started moving the ball around, picking up assists on the next three plays as it netted six points in just over a minute to recover the lead.
Down nine, Perkins brought her team back into the game by stealing the ball and driving down the court to make it 35-28 with 2:38 remaining. Then she added a free throw and a layup off a no-look pass from Naomi Kolodny to pull Ramat Hasharon within four at 37-33. However, Gourevitch stole the ball with 30 seconds remaining, and a Katia Abramzon free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining gave Ramle a 38-33 halftime lead.
Perkins sparked an 8-0 run that spanned the final two minutes of the third quarter and the first 1:17 of the fourth quarter to tie up the game, 52-all, for the first time since the 9:27 mark of the second quarter. On the next possession, however, Doron found Snow to reopen the lead. Ramat Hasharon pulled within one at 58-57 with 5:18 to go, and then the two teams went on a three-minute scoring drought. Perkins broke the ice and put Ramat Hasharon ahead for the first time since the initial period with a pair of free throws at the 2:08 mark, 59-58.
Laine Selwyn answered with a trifecta, her first points of the game, but Perkins in turn made a drive to the basket to knot the game at 61.
With 28.3 second left, the 20-year-old Abramzon showed the coolness of a veteran, drawing a foul and icing two free throws. She finished 5-for-6 from the free-throw line, giving Ramle the cushion for the final dramatic steal by Doron.
After the game, Ramat Hasharon coach Orna Ostfeld commented, "A lot of things didn't go our way. There's no doubt the women did the maximum. We came back at the end, but it wasn't enough."
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