Sure, some harsh words have been directed at Hapoel, even on this very blog, and doubtless they were mostly deserved (Hapoel wouldn't be the first Jerusalem organization to be repeatedly shanked by poor management and financial mishandling) - but the team overcame its reputation to send Jerusalem into a sweet Shabbat with a dramatic Thursday night State Cup victory over local powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv. Put that in your hummus and wipe it, Tel Aviv!

An extraordinary fourth period by Hapoel Jerusalem gave the team from the underdog a stunning 93-89 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the State Cup final on Thursday night at Nokia Arena.

Jerusalem trailed by as many as 22 points in the third quarter, but outscored Maccabi 38-16 in the final period to claim the cup for a second straight season.

Hapoel, which hadn't beaten Maccabi in a title game since 1997, made up for its clearly inferior roster with enthusiasm and passion and stunned the proud perennial champion.

Jamie Arnold, who left Maccabi for Jerusalem in the summer, scored 29 points, with Timmy Bowers adding 19 points. Sharon Sasson and Dror Hajaj added 15 and 11 points respectively.

And one day, perhaps in the far future, Israelis will stop being a small-of-stature Levantine people and become mighty cypresses of men, whose basketball teams will not be dominated by NBA also-rans. But until that day, hats off to our resident alien basketball stars, who made Jerusalemite's - and Jerusalem's - weekend. Shabbat shalom!