U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv opened its Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Patras with a convincing 88-55 victory over U18 Olympiacos Piraeus in Group A. Maccabi scored the final 12 points of the first half and was never challenged the rest of the way in holding Olympiacos to just 3-of-23 on three-pointers (13.0%). Ido Iluz scored 16 points to lead Maccabi with Ofri Naveh picking up 14 points and Tomer Agmon adding 10 points in the win. Michael Sprintzios was Olympiacos’ top scorer with 13 points and Apostolos Nikolaidis and Thomas Zorbas both had 11 points in the defeat.

Naveh scored the first four points of the game for Maccabi and Sprintzios answered with the next five for Olympiacos. Seven more lead changes followed before Iluz and Omer Mayer hit three-pointers to help Maccabi lead 20-15 after 10 minutes. Roi Behar and Ido Menchel also hit from deep as the Israeli side hit the first eight points of the second quarter to lead 28-15. Veniamin Amposi’s free throws ended a scoreless drought of more than 4 minutes and Sprintzios scored four more points to get Olympiacos within 33-25. But Shachar Doron and Iluz both hit three-pointers in a 12-0 close to the first half to lead 45-25 at the break.

Naveh scored four points in a 6-0 Maccabi run early in the second half to extend the margin to 51-27. Olympiacos tried to fight its way back into the game with Nikolaidis scoring four points but Maccabi had an answer every time and was up 64-38 after 30 minutes. Maccabi started the fourth quarter on a 12-4 run and the game was over for good.