Nervy Cagers post first win over Malaysian Juniors in Cagers Asia Tournament

Story by Ian Chew/Red Sports

Cagers centre Wu Dai Hao (in white) carried his team to a 80-68 victory. (Photo © Ian Chew)

Jurong East Sports Complex, Friday, June 27, 2008 – Perhaps their team chemistry was not fully developed. Or perhaps it was the home court pressure. In any case, the highly-favoured Cagers basketball team laboured to an 80-68 win over a surprisingly resilient Malaysian Junior Men’s team.

For a team featuring players 18 years and under, the Malaysian stunned with their verve and energy in the opening quarter, taking the fight to the home favourites. Malaysian players Ong Chun Khee (#11) and forward Ma Chee Kheun (#5) were particular impressive in their shooting, both contributing three baskets from beyond the arc. Centre Kwan Yoong Jing (#13) also did his part on the defensive end. He swatted away two Cagers layup attempts and helped his team pressure the Cagers into mistakes. It was to no surprise then that they held a 19-16 first-quarter lead.

Despite committing quite a number of turnovers, the Cagers kept themselves in the game by getting the ball into the hands of their monster centre Wu Dai Hao (#23). Together with fellow Taiwanese Ha Xiao Yuan (#77), both players dominated the paint for the Singaporean team for 9 of their 16 first quarter points. Point guard Wong Wei Long (#5) and Desmond Oh (#2) also scored from long range to make up the points.

But the Cagers’ superior experience soon told. Refusing to buckle at the onslaught of their young opponents, the local team steadily chipped away at the lead through some aggressive defending. Point guard Hui Guo Rong (#13) scored two crucial back-to-back baskets midway through the second quarter to tie the game at 28-28. Teammate Ng Han Bin (#35) then downed a long 3-pointer to put the Cagers up for good. He followed that up with a spectacular block on Chun Khee’s layup in the final seconds to put his team in a comfortable 38-33 lead at the half.

Just when Cagers threatened to pull away in the third quarter, the Malaysian team kept themselves in touching distance through their pinpoint shooting. 1.75m forward Ooi Beng Seang (#7) belied his relatively small frame to score eight consecutive points for his team. Teammate Chee Kheun was also having a stellar game, top-scoring with 20 points to lead all scorers.

But the spectre of Cagers’ giant centres haunted the plucky Malaysians throughout the game. Playing every minute of the match, the 2.05m Dai Hao and 1.97m Xiao Yuan dominated the boards at both ends while creating opportunities for the rest of the team.

Forwards Hong Wei Jian (#10), Goh Tai Liang (#11), Desmond and Han Bin took full advantage of these opportunities to run at the Malaysian Junior Men team’s defense in the second half, converting on fast break points en route to a comfortable 12-point victory.

Vice-captain Desmond Oh though, vowed to improve on his performance.

“All credit to the Malaysian team for playing a good game, but our team is definitely not playing to our usual standards. We committed far too many turnovers, especially in the first half. We need to improve on our communication for the rest of the games.”

The Cagers may have won the game, but the buzz was of how a young Malaysian Junior upstart team almost stole the show.

Scorers for the Cagers:
Wu Dai Hao (#23) – 19 points
Ha Xiao Yuan (#77) – 18 points
Desmond Oh (#2) – 8 points
Wong Wei Long (#5) – 6 points
Lim Wai Sian (#14) – 6 points
Ng Han Bin (#35) – 6 points
Goh Tai Liang (#11) – 5 points
Hiu Guo Rong (#13) – 5 points
Hong Wei Jian (#10) – 4 points

Scorers for the Malaysian Junior Men team:
Ma Chee Kheun (#5) – 20 points
Ong Chun Khee (#11) – 12 points
Kwan Yoong Jing (#13) – 11 points
Ooi Beng Seang (#7) – 10 points

Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong extending a host’s welcome to the Malaysian Juniors. His best wishes must have worked on Beng Seang (#7) who went on to perform well in the starting match. (Photo © Ian Chew)

Felicia Chin’s presence on the bench was definitely a factor in sparking the team’s second quarter comeback! (Photo © Ian Chew)

Malaysian centre finds out just how difficult it is to fight for positions against the 100kg Taiwanese centre Wu Dai Hao. (Photo © Ian Chew)

Malaysian Junior’s reserve point guard Te Kok Lin (blue) in flight. His three points all came in the final quarter. (Photo © Ian Chew)

Cagers Pung Jia Wei, Hiu Guo Rong and Desmond Oh (from left to right) are confident of a good showing in the tournament. (Photo © Ian Chew)