| Fadhil Yunus |
TEO & Sons overcame the hurdle, which could have derailed their chances of locking up second place in Group ‘A’ in the YOU-C 1000 Basketball Cup after surviving a third-quarter fightback, before eventually winning 126-101 over Menglait Basketball Club at the Brunei Basketball Association Court in Batu Bersurat last night.
Teo & Sons foreign import Frederick Jones made the game safe after notching 23 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring the 20 points he managed in the third quarter against Tutong Basketball in his previous appearance.
Frederick asserted his dominance in the scoring department after managing a game-high of 64 points featuring 20 three-pointers in yet another stellar performance.
But it was not plain smooth sailing for Teo & Sons as they weathered a brave resurgence from Menglait Basketball who wiped out a 13-point deficit.
Menglait captain Allen Salvador played an influential role in the fightback after inspiring his side in his team’s attack and a succession of points in equal measure.
It was game on after Menglait managed to cut down their deficit by eight points before Justino Martinez popped up with a three-pointer to make it a closer affair.
Menglait even briefly led in style following a three pointer from A Jauhali but Frederick quickly replied with a trey before Rashad Ali extended their lead even further.
J Dela Cruz had his effort in a toilet bowl for Menglait before Teo & Sons’s captain Jeff Paraiso slipped the ball from his grasps in the other end of the court.
Frederick showed his scoring prowess from range after knocking eight three-pointers in the fourth quarter, guiding his team into a territory where Menglait could not recover from.
The foreign import also had the court all on his own on more than one occasion after the Menglait’s defence were found high up on the offensive side but even from that sequence of play the move was completed with a three pointer.
It is their second straight win following up their exploits from Tutong Basketball and they will conclude their group stage play against Cleanwash Laundry, who face a tough assessment against YTE to stay alive in the hunt for second place tomorrow.