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Basketball / Women's Premier League Playoffs / Is Ramat Hasharon hungrier than Ramle? By Arie Livnat Both of the women's Premier League semifinal series will be decided by a fifth game. Tonight, Ramat Hasharon hosts Ramle in yet another matchup between the two teams that have together won nine out of the last 10 league championships, while Bnot Hasharon hosts Ramat Chen for the right to advance to the final series. One of the most important elements in playoff series is home court advantage, especially when the opponent is of equal caliber, but sometimes it works the opposite way. In the 2002/03 women's Premier League season, Ramat Hasharon finished in third place, but dramatically won the fifth game of the semifinals at Ramat Chen, and then dramatically won the fifth game of the final series at Ramle. It was Ramat Hasharon's fourth championship in five seasons and at the time it looked unbeatable. The losing coach in the final series was Tal Natan. "There were years when Ramat Hasharon was the Maccabi Tel Aviv of women's basketball," he said. Advertisement Tamar Maoz was a part of that championship team and the one preceding it. She actually does not recall Ramat Hasharon having the highest level of self-confidence. "I remember the bus ride to the fifth game in Ramle," she says. "Usually, a player arrives with a gut feeling, but before this game I didn't know what would happen. In general, except maybe for one of the seasons, it never was easy. Winning a championship is a process that is built throughout the season, and it is determined by how well you are doing when you arrive at the playoffs. In addition, there is no relationship between one year and the next. Every season is something new and the players are different. There wasn't a feeling that we would end up winning just because we were called Ramat Hasharon." In contrast to Maoz, Elitzur Holon chairman Menahem Weidhorn is of the opinion that experience and tradition determines who wins titles. He should know. Holon won 19 straight league championships before Ramat Hasharon and Ramle took control. "There is no question that it's about tradition and experience," he says. "When you have dynasty or previous success, it has a mental effect. In addition, players usually stick around for a few years. Also the coach and the administration. The whole system pushes you toward achievements. If you believe in yourself, you will get more." During those years Ramat Hasharon had the confidence, but the sweetest league title actually also signaled the club's swan song. A year later, Ramle defeated Ramat Hasharon in the fifth game of their semifinal series and began to write its own history. Ramle won three straight league championships (except for the one-year break in which it spent time in the National League [Liga Leumit]) and four out the last five State Cups. Tal Natan, who began the dynasty, explains. "There was a change at Ramle," he says. "They understood that you can't fire coaches every two weeks and get them to work. I worked for three years and Eli [Rabi, Ramle's current coach] has been working now for three years and that creates stability in the system. There was a time when Ramat Hasharon had the best Israeli players in the league. Today, Ramle is the strongest team in the league. Over the last two years, it has invested more money than Ramat Hasharon. Over the past two years, Ramat Hasharon got worn out, whereas a big hunger for titles was created at Ramle." When you talk about the hunger for titles, the first name that pops into your head is Ina Gourevitch. The 40-year-old player won two consecutive league-cup doubles with Ramat Hasharon, moved to Ramle and won all of the recent titles there. Before then, she played for Weidhorn, who knows how to appreciate her contribution. "That's true," he says. "Ina was the main factor in the titles Ramle has won. She made the difference." Weidhorn believes that Gourevitch was not the only reason, it was all of the Israeli players. "In the fourth game, Ramle faced an 11-point deficit and it had a problem with passing. Ramat Hasharon should have closed out the series, but it didn't have an Israeli to come in and have a big game. They don't have Israelis on the same level as Ramle. After everything that happened at Ramle this season, if it weren't for the Israelis, they wouldn't have even finished in the top six. They are playing now almost without any foreigners. Sherill Baker is not on the same level as Jia Perkins, Jackie Johnson is playing injured and Michelle Snow is not exactly coming to play. It's absurd, but Katia Abramzon has contributed more than her share. Another club would have fell apart, but Ramle has two or three Israelis who are very close to the level of foreign players." Bookmark to del.icio.us   A gentleman's word Olmert tells Haaretz he knows Iran won't have nuclear capacity. Farewell to arms B'Tselem says IDF must ban wide-range shell that killed civilians in Gaza.

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