SWEET REVENGE

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, August 14, 2010

IT WAS a dream start for national basketball coach Kevin Reece.

The American, who took over as Brunei coach in December, guided the national team to a memorable 59-55 victory over Kota Kinabalu in the 12th Borneo City Cup Men's Basketball Invitational Tournament 2010 at
the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat last night.

Reece's boys have played in various local tournaments and netted their first title in the 2010 Goh Hock Kee Cup last month but this was the first
time they had scored a win while representing the country in an international/ regional tournament.

Last night's victory was also a sweet revenge for the national side who were thrashed 67-89 by the same team in Miri last year. Full report and picture on A19.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Brunei KO KK in nail biter

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, August 14, 2010

BASKETBALL fans were left on the edge of their seats as the Men's national basketball team put up an intense defensive effort to prevail over Kota Kinabalu (KK) 59-55 last night in the 12th Borneo City Men Basketball Invitation Tournament 2010 at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Brunei had led by as much as 14 points in the game but a quick 7-2 run in the beginning of the final stanza saw KK close to within 41-44 in the first two minutes. The national cagers were running the floor but poor passing led to turnovers which KK exploited to finally grab the lead at 47-46 via a three-pointer, courtesy of Halbert Legada halfway through the quarter.

From then on, it was a see-saw battle between both sides which boiled down to a battle of freethrows.

KK's Fadlisyam Ismail split his charities to bring his team within 55-58 with 24 seconds remaining.

His team was, however, not in the penalty, which meant that they had to foul to stop the clock.

Choo Yung Jian iced the game when he stepped up to the line to split his free throws with seven seconds remaining to make it a double possession game, thus sealing the win.

"We didn't play practically well on defence and I thought we had them on the ropes in the second quarter when we led by double digits. In the end, it turned into a see-saw battle but we knew we just had to stay focus," national basketball coach Kevin Reece informed The Brunei Times after the win.

"Our guard play was not the best and we'll need them to do a better job. We had too many turnovers but it's a good thing because the last time we had so many we lost," he said.

Three players got into double figures for the Sultanate with Ben Sim leading the way with 16 points, six rebounds, four steals and four assists. Muhd Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin produced a double-double effort with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Yap Chun Ping chipped in 11. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Brunei vets shine, not slowing down with age

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, August 14, 2010

THE Brunei national veteran team got their campaign off to winning ways, notching a 71-55 victory over Miri last night in the 11th Borneo City Veteran Basketball Invitation Tournament 2010 at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Rosli Said topscored for Brunei with 14 points while Tony Tan and Lim Thin Teck poured in 13 and 12 respectively in the triumph.

Only Huong Yu Hua got into double figures for Miri with 12 points while Kuan Yuk Khin and King Sze Kwang each chipped in nine points in the losing effort.

The Sultanate's ballers got off firing on all cylinders to knock down their shots at will while their effective 3-2 zone defence managed to deny their opponents any easy looks. They also covered the paint well, forcing Miri to resort to outside shots.

Miri were successful in grabbing offensive rebounds but misfired on several possessions to see them trail 9-15, heading into the second quarter.

Brunei continued to play well, moving the ball around to find the open man for easy baskets.

On the other hand, Miri's struggling offence, allowed Brunei to extend their lead to 31-15 midway through the period.

Rosli was heating up on the offensive end for 11 points in the stanza to put Brunei firmly in the driving seat with a scoreline of 41-24 at halftime.

Miri were resurgent after the break and came out with a man-to-man defensive strategy that allowed them to pick up steals. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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National basketball squad take on Borneo

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, August 12, 2010

THE Men's national basketball team are all prepped up and ready to go
in the 2010 Borneo Cup, which the Sultanate will host starting tomorrow
till Sunday, at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

The team has had more than a week's break from the 2010 Sultan's Cup which they are currently competing as Soon Lee-Easyway.

They have so far notched up two wins and a loss after three games in the group stages of the ongoing tournament.

"We're ready to play and we will just have to go out there and put everything together that we've been working on for the past six months. This is our first real challenge to represent the country and the Brunei flag and we got to give everything we got. This is what it's all about," national basketball coach Kevin Reece (pic) told The Brunei Times yesterday.

"We're trying to make our final push and preparations now. However, some of them are suffering from injuries but they are playing through it," he added.

"After the tournament we will know what we need to continue to work on to get to the level that we want to play against those from this region," continued the American.

The fasting month of Ramadhan begins today and the coach is unfazed by that despite the line up boasting several Muslim players Hj Md Badri Hj Suhaili, Pg Md Faizuladzmi Pg Tajuddin, Muhd Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin and Muiz Hj Abdul Ghani. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Young Guns misfire against Palm Cafe

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, August 12, 2010

THERE was no slaying of the giants in yesterday night's 2010 Sultan's
Cup as Palm Cafe thrashed Young Guns 135-89 to sweep Group B at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

It was the highest scoring output by any team so far in the tournament and seven players notched double figures for Palm Cafe.

Vincent Superio and Allan Caringal each poured in matching game-highs of 28 points for the tournament favourites. Danny Felicilda contributed 19
points and Mike Nuguid added 18. The trio of Majomar Aying, Don Mordeno and Mark Del Mundo chipped in 15, 14 and 12 points respectively in the demolition.

On the other hand, Hung Jiunn Nan topscored for Young Guns with 19 points and Willie Jong added 16. Lim Yee Cheng and Chua Shi Xuan chipped in 12 points each to a losing cause.

It was a close affair in the opening period with Felicilda and Caringal, scoring 11 and eight points in the quarter respectively to carry Palm Cafe on offence.

On the other hand, Hung had a good first period as he fired nine points to keep Young Guns within 20-27 heading into the second quarter.

But that was as close as it got for Young Guns as Palm Cafe turned up their game in the second stanza. They exploited their height advantage to haul down rebounds after rebounds for second chance points, while running the floor swiftly to score on fastbreaks. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Estetika advance as Aewon fall

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Estetika erased a 13-point deficit to defeat Aewon 99-95 in Group C to advance into the second round of the 2010 Sultan's Cup last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Five players hit double figures for Estetika with Jerold Pascua notching a
team-high of 21 points. Ronald Borromeo poured in 19 while Sherwin
Antonio added 17. Manny Meridor and Martinez chipped in 11 and 10 points respectively in the victory.

Four players put in double-digit performances for Aewon with Cavan Kong scoring a game-high 32 points including five triples.

Facing an 82-88 deficit in the final two minutes of the match, Estetika, who were in the penalty, were fouling their opponents to stop the clock.
Aewon were put to the test at the charity stripe but could only make nine out of their 18 attempts. Estetika finally took the lead with a 96-95 scoreline in the final 30 seconds, courtesy of split freethrows by Pascuas.

"They're a good team with a lot of shooters and our players were not fast enough on defence against them. We needed to freeze the time so we were giving away the fouls and they couldn't get it done from the line," said Estetika head coach Edwin Cabana after the triumph.

It was Aewon that came out firing off the gates as they were nailing their shots from beyond the arc to open up a 22-14 lead going into the second quarter. Kong was putting up a shooting clinic and scored the first 10 points for Aewon in the second period but Estetika would play better basketball to close the gap to 39-40 at halftime.

Aewon onced again picked up the slack in the third stanza and were passing the ball well, with Chin catching on fire to connect on four triples to extend Aewon's lead to 59-46 midway through the period.

Estetika continued to play airtight defence in the fourth period and were forcing turnovers off their opponents. They were also playing with more
confidence with the backing of the crowd that set up the nail biting finish.

"We're looking forward to the next round and we'll have to improve further at both ends of the court and also on our stamina," said Cabana.

The second game saw Sharks sweep Group A with a 82-66 victory over Team Wayne.

The competition continues today with Palm Cafe going up against Young Guns in Group B at 7pm. The second game pits MK Kids Salon against SKT also in Group B at 8.30pm.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Sharks stay perfect

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, August 9, 2010

Sharks kept their perfect record intact with a 91-71 triumph over Ifdhaal Enterprise in Group A of the 2010 Sultan's Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat last night.

Four players notched double figures for Sharks with Aries Castro putting up a shooting clinic with 36 points. Jolito Entapan added 15 while Geve
Leones and Elvin Requintin chipped in 13 and 11 points respectively in the win.

On the other hand, Armando Estoesta topscored for Ifdhaal Enterprise with 20 points while Ahmad Termizi Nordeen and Hj Md Rahmat Hj Suhaili each poured in 15 points to a losing cause.

Ifdhaal Enterprise started off on the wrong foot last night. Sharks were
throwing quick outlet passes after each rebound and Castro was the main benefactor at the offensive end as he poured in 10 points in the opening period to help Sharks open up a 23-13 lead going into the second quarter.

It was the same affair in the second period as Sharks were trapping and pressing their opponents' ball handler at the defensive end for steals.

Ifdhaal Enterprise failed to handle the pressure which resulted in turnovers. Sharks were going on fastbreaks to score easily and extended their lead to 47-26 at halftime.

Ifdhaal Enterprise never backed down and nailed their shots when given the opportunity. Sharks were gifting their opponents open looks as they
failed to put a hand in their face on set plays.

But Castro was on fire with his catch shooting for 16 points in the stanza as Sharks rode on a 70-52 cushion into the final quarter.

They continued to run the floor in the fourth period and extended their lead to as large as 28 points as they cruised to victory sending Ifdhaal Enterprise to their third straight loss.

"I'm not satisfied with our  performance yet. We haven't had any practice yet and we're still lacking communication on the floor," said Leones, the captain of Sharks, in an interview with The Brunei Times, after the win.

"Our defence and stamina are fine at the moment. We'll need to talk to each other more on offence and get more passing done as well," added Leones.

Meanwhile, Ranoadidas Rockettes emerged champions of the women's category after they edged Steam Solutions 56-54 in the earlier match.

Source: The Brunei Times

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MK Kids eat Bread

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, August 8, 2010

MK KIDS SALON picked up their second straight victory with a 78-61 triumph over Breadstop Teamz in Group B of the 2010 Sultan's Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat last night.

Roldan Binas had the game-high of 20 points to pace MK Kids Salon while Jeff Paraiso and Erwin Velez chipped in 13 and 10 points respectively.

On the other hand, Leonard Ong topscored for Breadstop Teamz with 14 points while younger brother, Herculanus Ong, contributed 12 points. Tony Bong added 11 points in a losing effort.

Both teams got off to a slow start and were missing their shots. But MK Kids managed to get ahead 15-11 heading into the second quarter.

MK Kids Salon had the height advantage and were dominating the boards. Binas had the hot hands for MK Kids Salon and poured in 12 points in the period itself to extend his team's lead to 37-28 at halftime.

Things at the offensive end remained sluggish for MK Kids Salon despite getting open looks. Breadstop Teamz couldn't get into the paint and were settling for outside shots. Hanzel Enopia closed the stanza with five straight points to put his team on top 53-39 going into the final quarter.

MK Kids Salon picked up their game in the fourth period and shots were finally starting to fall. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Team Wayne survive Ifdhaal charge

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, August 7, 2010

TEAM WAYNE squandered a 22-point lead but survived a late charge by Ifdhaal Enterprise to escape with a 68-66 victory last night in Group A of the 2010 Sultan's Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Goh Khin Yeh topscored for Team Wayne with 18 points and Koh Wee Chian poured in 12 to deliver Team Wayne's first win in two games.

Three players scored into double figures for Ifdhaal Enterprise with Sonny Bautista notching a game-high 23 points while Ahmad Termizi Nordeen and Armando Estoesta chipped in 18 and 16 points respectively to the losing effort.

It was mostly one way traffic in the first quarter with Team Wayne securely in control. They were taking their time and hitting their shots while Ifdhaal Enterprise were rushing on offence which allowed their opponents to quickly open up an 18-8 lead heading into the second quarter.

Ifdhaal Enterprise were out of sync on both ends of the floor and consequently could not get their shots to fall.

Team Wayne were moving the ball well, getting it to the open man who responded by knocking down shots to extend their cushion to 40-18 at halftime.

Team Wayne were doing well on the boards but ended up settling for too many outside shots which they failed to convert after the interval.

They were also making turnovers via erratic passes which allowed their opponents to build momentum and get back into the match.

Ifdhaal Enterprise were running the floor well and eventually cut the deficit to 51-42 going into the final stanza.

Ifdhaal Enterprise were playing with more energy and breaking down their opponents defence to score from the paint. Team Wayne were resistant in taking shots despite getting decent looks and failed to add to the scoreboard. Their opponents were getting more confident after each basket and a Bautista three-pointer off the glass brought them to as close as 56-60 with two minutes to play. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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