| Fadhil Yunus |
JURAMAS took a major step closer towards clinching top spot in Group ‘B’ barring an unlikely collapse in form after defeating YTE Morsjaya 100-94 in a pulsating clash of the titans in the MK Group Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association Court in Batu Bersurat last night.
YTE Morsjaya surrendered their 100 per cent start in the tournament while Juramas improved to 3-0 and looked in pole position with an expected final group game win over Walltique Sdn Bhd.
Juramas head coach Lim Soon Khiong stressed the importance in defence as a basic foundation of winning the match especially against the quality of YTE.
“The key word here is defence, teamwork and rotating the ball,” said Juramas head coach Lim Soon Khiong in a post-match interview after the game.
Lim is the third head coach after Arnel Caringal of YTE and Pong Bing Chau of Street Roc to highlight the importance of a strong defence.
He commended praise to both locals and imports including players who boasted considerable experience in the national squad.
“It is a mixture of the imports and the locals’ teamwork. The players have good teamwork; they talk to each other and have good eye contact as well as passing the ball and making use of the imports.”
Juramas is likely to avoid defending champions Easyway at least before the final should they seal top spot in Group ‘B’.
YTE Morsjaya’s fears of a possible meeting with Easyway may rang true after looking likely to slip to second subject to confirmation of the Walltique and Juramas game tomorrow.
However, YTE can still cling to hope of avoiding the title favourites should they receive an unlikely setback against Street Roc, who hold a perfect 3-0 record, tonight.
YTE sunk two consecutive treys to overturn a 15-point deficit but Juramas held firm.
Meanwhile, Walltique picked up form ahead of the Juramas game with a 103-78 win over Hainan in the opening game of Group ‘B’.
Juramas’s Carl Montgomery clocked a game high of 33 points while Udun Osakue contributed with 19 points.
The competition continues tonight with Street Roc looking to cause a major upset against Easyway in a tie which could potentially decide top dogs in Group ‘A’.
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