Hapoel Tel Aviv launched its 2026/27 preseason preparation on Saturday night with a commanding 101–76 victory over Bulgarian outfit Balkan Botevgrad in Sofia. Operating without injured captain Tomer Ginat and the rest of the Israeli national team contingent, the Reds encountered little resistance against their EuroCup host and will face them once again in a second warm-up clash on Monday.
Although the Bulgarians jumped out to an early lead, sharp minutes from Antonio Blakeney and Zach LeDay quickly turned the tide, steering Hapoel to a 30–26 advantage by the end of the opening quarter. Dimitris Itoudis’s squad locked down defensively in the second quarter, stifling Balkan to just 12 points while pouring in 20 of their own to build a comfortable 50–38 cushion at the half.
Hapoel stretched the margin to 19 early in the second half, but Balkan fought back to pull within single digits later in the period. However, Itoudis’s men swiftly reasserted control to restore their cushion, entering the final frame with a 79–60 lead. The Reds maintained their momentum through the fourth quarter as the bench took the floor, ultimately swelling the advantage to 27 points to seal the 101–76 blowout.
Antonio Blakeney spearheaded Hapoel's attack with a team-high 16 points, while Vasilije Micic contributed 13 and Zach LeDay chipped in 10. The rest of the Tel Aviv scoring effort was rounded out by Amir Coffey and Ish Wainright (9 points each); Dan Oturu, Elijah Bryant, and Tai Odiase (8 each); Oz Blayzer (5); Jacob Toppin, Eugene German, and Bar Timor (4 each); and Tomas Satoransky (3).