Tiger, Wasps draw first blood in semi-finals

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Preliminary rounds champions Labuan Wasps celebrating their success with Yuwang Group regional director Leong Nyuk On (fifth left) and organising chairman James Yap (fifth right) after the prize presentation on Thursday.

Preliminary rounds champions Labuan Wasps celebrating their success with Yuwang Group regional director Leong Nyuk On (fifth left) and organising chairman James Yap (fifth right) after the prize presentation on Thursday.

KUCHING: John Julien Matsusalem Foronda was on fire as he led Kuching Lord Tiger to their first win over Miri Firehorse in the semi-finals of the inaugural Yuwang EBL Basketball League at MBKS Indoor Stadium, Pending on Thursday night.

The Filipino import top scored with 19 points and 17 rebounds while compatriot Ramsey Lewis Williams finished with a triple double – 14 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists – to give Lord Tiger a vital 73-63 victory.

Chai Chze Hian also impressed with 13 points and 13 rebounds while Benjamin Sim contributed 12 points.

As for Firehorse, Liaw Tze Hui registered a game high 20 points with 10 rebounds while Filipino import Narciso Junior Gallardo Llagas had 15 and Ma Chee Kheun 12 points.

Lord Tiger led the first quarter 21-14 before Firehorse fought back to temporarily lead 28-27 in the final minute of the second quarter only to be behind 28-29.

After the breather, the lethal combination of John, Ramsey and Chai amassed 20 points to stretch their team’s lead to 56-42 in the third quarter.

The final quarter was a dingdong battle for points but the Tigers stood their ground to win the match by 10 points.

Meanwhile, in the other semifinals, Labuan Wasps stung Kota Kinabalu Eagles 83-72 to carry a 1-0 advantage into the second semi-finals match later yesterday.

The semi-finals are played based on the best of three games, with the winner of two games to advance to the final.