KUCHING: Defending champions Kuching Lord Tigers kept a clean record in the four circuits of the 2nd Yuwang East Malaysia Basketball League (EBL) as they stayed unbeaten in 12 out of 12 games after registering a 109-88 victory over Kota Kinabalu Eagles at the Batu Bersurat Basketball Court in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei last Sunday.
Having already secured their place in the final, the Tigers played a relaxed game in their final match in the Brunei Circuit. But they were in total command, leading 26-20 in the first quarter, 54-41 in the second and rounding up with a 21-point victory.
They could even afford to field the reserves now and then. The Eagles also played with less pressure as they are now in the pre-final and will vie with Labuan Wasps for the other ticket to the final.
Tigers head coach Danny Yong preferred to remain cautious of the important task ahead to retain the title as the record of 12 wins would be meaningless if they fall at the final hurdle.
“We won our games easily in the Kuching Circuit because the other teams are unfamiliar with our style of play but as the league moved on to Labuan, Kota Kinabalu and Brunei, they changed their strategies and we had to really work very hard for our wins,” he said.
“We won all our games because we were more outstanding than the other three teams, However, the most important thing is that our players can rise to the occasion in the final and play their respective roles well,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the other game, Labuan Wasps overcame a second half deficit of six points (37-43) to beat Brunei Beruang Blazers 87-78 to seal their place in the pre-final.
The pre-final and final will be played at the MBKS Indoor Stadium in Kuching on Sept 24 and Sept 25 respectively.