| James Kon & Fadhil Yunus |
LOCAL basketball team Beruang Blazers were mauled by the Kuching Lord Tigers basketball team after falling to a 83-98 defeat yesterday night at the opening match of the GRAND Borneo Invitational Challenge held at the National Indoor Stadium.
The Kuching Lord Tigers basketball team, who are the champion of the previous campaign of Yuwang EBL Basketball League, took the lead as early as the first quarter and never looked back.
Imports Jose Raymar and Viernes Jeff were on form for Beruang Blazers with a combined 51 points, while Tigers’ Malaysian player Andy Jong Sie Hong managed to score six three-pointers to contribute a total of 27 points and import Collado Jesse James had 22 points for the win.
Despite the 17-point gap amassed by the Kuching Lord Tigers after the third quarter, Beruang Blazers kept their heads high and trimmed their opponents’ lead to only 10 points with five minutes left to play.
In the fourth quarter, import Jose Raymar dominated the board in rebound and finished with points. He finished the game with a high 17 rebound.
With vast experience in big tournaments, the Kuching Lord Tigers managed to retain their composure to hold off Beruang Blazers to win the crucial first match.
Newly-appointed coach of the Kuching Lord Tigers, Coach Rebote Martinez Arvin expressed satisfaction with the win.
“It’s a good win and I am very happy with the team’s performance since this is the first time I join the team in a tournament. I can see the skills of Malaysian players complementing the imports. We are definitely going for the championship.”
About Beruang Blazers’ performance, he said, “They have a very good point guard and we managed to defend well against him, to stop him from scoring.”
Meanwhile, Brunei’s Beruang Blazers coach Mendres Rosito Rabboni touched on the need to give the team more exposure to gain experience.
“I felt that more preparations are needed to compete in such a huge competition. To further increase the skills and experience of local players, we need to send them to train or compete overseas, outside of their comfort zone,” he said in an interview after the match.
“From the match, I can see the young players in Kuching Lord Tigers train everyday and compete in competitions because they possess basketball intellect and knowledge. I hope Brunei will have a strong programme to develop the players.”
On the imports’ performance, he said, “They did well, however basketball is a team sport so the imports cannot win the game. Therefore, everyone should and must contribute especially on defence,” the coach said.
In another match, Miri King Kong began their campaign on a winning note after stopping Pontianak Vois in a convincing 76-49 win.
The Pontianak match marked the second time the team assembled and have only trained once since the foreign imports linked up with the local players.
The Miri outfit have included two Filipinos based in Cebu in their roster as well as a player who represented Miri Firehorse.
“I’m happy with the chemistry. The foreign players played very well and they know how to guide the local players,” said Miri King Kong head coach Alex Ang in an interview with the Bulletin.
The local players also tasted victory in their first test overseas.
The team were supposedly formed with interest of competing in the EBL League which hosts Brunei Beruang Blazers were a part of in the second edition.
Miri King Kong have identified Kuching Lord Tiger as the biggest threat and added that accuracy deficiencies can be found in the Brunei Beruang Blazers.
“I think the Kuching team are quite strong. Brunei are quite strong but their shooting is not that accurate.
“Kuching were quite fast and shoot really well. They have young players but they played very well,” the head coach said.
The opening ceremony was graced by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Datu Lailaraja Majar General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof with members of the Brunei Basketball Association present.
The tournament, held in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee Celebration of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Accession to the Throne, aims to showcase the talents of basketball players in Borneo as well as reigniting the national following for the sports.
GRAND Borneo Invitational Challenge, which runs from October 9-14, is organised by Soon Lee Group of Companies in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Brunei Basketball Association.
Tonight’s game will see Vios Pontianak go against Kuching Lord Tigers at 8pm, followed by Beruang Blazers against Miri King Kong at 9.30pm at the same venue.
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