Lord Tiger players and officials celebrating with the guest of honour, organisers and Yuwang Group representatives.
MVP Ramsey Lewis Williams is all smiles as he poses with Yuwang Group managing director See Cherng Jye (third left), Foo (left) and others.
KUCHING: Kuching Lord Tiger were crowned the champions of the inaugural Yuwang EBL Basketball League when they outplayed Labuan Wasps 86-64 in the final at MBKS Indoor Stadium, Pending last Sunday night.
It was the Wasps who provided the first sting with four points from the whistle before the Tigers took over the lead 15-11 and ended the first quarter 17-16.
The Tigers continued to build up a sizeable lead, with Filipino imports Ramsey Lewis Williams, John Julien Matsusalem Foronda, Chai Chze Hian and Rolando Lim making key contributions for a 40-30 score at half-time.
After the break, Wasps clawed back to 40-42 before the Tigers pulled ahead 65-44 by the end of the third quarter.
Sensing that the title was theirs to lose, the Tigers slowed down their attacks to marshall a solid and tight defence.
Williams and Tsok Kian Hong were sharp at the three-point arc, converting five three-pointers in the fourth quarter to wrapped the game with a 24-point win.
Chze Hian scored a game high 22 points including three three-pointers and six rebounds while final MVP Williams had 19 points with nine rebounds, Foronda 17 points and 12 rebounds and Kian Hong connected for 14 points.
Paul Christian Crisosto Zamar top scored for the Wasps with 20 points and 12 rebounds while Ng Sing Tee had 12 points and two rebounds.
Lord Tiger coach Lu Boon Hui, who had expected a tough fight, was pleasantly surprised with the comfortable win.
“Yes, I am really surprised by the big win. I had expected a 50-50 game and never thought it could be that easy,” he told the Borneo Post after the game.
He attributed strong defence, good teamwork and fighting spirit to their victory.
“Before I took over as team coach, I had heard that the Tigers’ defence was not very solid and certain players were unable to gel with other players and some of the good players were not given the chance to play.
“The import players Williams and Foronda played very well and our local players like Chze Hian, Kian Hong and Rolando Lim also gave a good account of themselves.
“We won because we had better bench (reserve) players and we had a very good defence and our shooting percentage was very high,” he noted.
“I also instilled confidence especially in our local boys and I believe they have enjoyed themselves in this match,” he added.
The happy team manager Chin Tzin Shien said the imports and local players had displayed good teamwork and high discipline.
“We did not set any target for the team as we do not want to give them unnecessary pressure, so I just told the boys to do their best.
“All the four teams in this competition are very disciplined but the best team wins it all.”
Meanwhile, Wasps coach Antolin Toto expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance.
“We were the underdogs team and we feel proud and happy to have come this far (final). We were beaten by a better team.
“Our shots were not coming in. The team depended too much on the three import players and the local players lacked confidence … they made tentative shots,” he said.
Toto said the venue, which was Tigers’ home ground, was not a factor for their defeat.
“We were able to become the preliminary round champions when we beat Kota Kinabalu Eagles at their home ground in Sabah before returning to Kuching,” he pointed out.
In the play-off for third and fourth place, KK Eagles trailed Miri Firehorse 21-25 in the first quarter, 38-48 in the second quarter and 65-66 in the third quarter.
The two teams were tied 84-84 at full time, forcing play into over-time which again ended with a 93-93 deadlock.
In the second overtime, Narciso JR Gallardo Llagas turned the hero when he converted a rebound and a three-pointer in the final one and a half minutes to hand Eagles a 106-101 victory.
Milton Foo, the representative of Sarawak United Peoples’ Party president Senator Sim Kui Hian, closed the event and gave away the prizes.