SMK Siburan triumphs in MSSS U15 basketball

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WE’RE CHAMPIONS: Charles Kored (middle row second left) and Chua Sim Huat (middle row left) pose with SMK Siburan team after the prize giving ceremony at Siburan Community Hall basketball court yesterday. — Photo by Lester Mekan Baha

SIBURAN: Defending champion SMK Siburan emerged victorious in the Sarawak Schools Sports Council (MSSS) Boys Under 15 Inter-school basketball championship after their cagers defeated highly fancied Lodge International School 49 – 40 in much awaiting final showdown.

The win was hard fought as both the finalists battled it out at the packed Siburan Community Hall basketball court yesterday.

SMK Siburan drew first blood in the first half and led by 8 points before the Lodgers led by Alvin Lau Bik Jie finally settled down and led the host by just 1 point until the quarter break.

The 5 minutes breather gave the coaches to re organise their teams’ game plans and in the 10th minute SMK Siburan’s Thian Jing Jie sprinted from the left flank to dunk 2 points.

Thian in his elements of man-of –the –match continued to harass Lodgers’ defence but failed to find the basket not until Chua Sim Huat SMK Siburan’s coach called for time out.

This rejuvenated the teams’ players pace but the score stood at 18 all within the next 5 minutes of the equally contested match.

However, the score did not last long when Ryan Eric Lau zigzagged from the centre court threw a 3-metre shot found the basket for Lodge’s 18-20 lead.

SMK Siburan trailed closely to come back strongly after that through Ho Jia Jiong and long throw specialist Lee Joon Kang, to reduce the deficit to 25-26 at half time.

Few minutes before full time after the peculiar black out which switched off the computerised score board, SMK Siburan bound into the game with Thian sprung into his scoring spree for a comfortable lead and wrapped the game with a 49-40 win.

“I am quite surprised the boys managed to bounce back to win the title for the second consecutive time especially against a strong team like Lodge” enthused Chua, SMK Siburan’s coach.

“The champion is decided by players that performed well on that day and in a tournament the winning or losing teams should learn from success and failure” Lodge’s team manager Linus Lee Chee Fung.

Meanwhile, SMK St. Joseph defeated SM Sains 52-41 to finish third in the event.