Story by Alan Chiang/Red Sports. Photos by Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports.
Kyle Jeffers (Slingers, #31) attempting to get off a shot while charging into the block formed by Koh Way Tek (Dragons, #14) and Jamal Brown (Dragons, #30). Jeffers finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for his league-leading 10th double-double in 12 games. (Photo 1 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Singapore Indoor Stadium, Monday, January 11, 2010 - The Singapore Slingers secured a play-off place in the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) season as they overcame the Kuala Lumpur Dragons with a big 92-74 win.
The Slingers controlled the entire game right from the start with the biggest lead of 18 points occurring at several stages. It was the second-highest scoring game of the season for the Slingers as all five starters were in double figures, led by Michael LeBlanc and Kyle Jeffers who both had double-doubles of 26 points and 11 rebounds and 16 and 12 respectively.
Al Vergara, Marcus Ng and Hong Wei Jian combined for a total of 40 points as the Slingers shot an impressive 61 percent from the field, and a remarkable 50 percent effort from beyond the three-point line.
The Dragons had half of their total points coming from the bench where Loh Shee Fai, Koh Way Tek and Guganeswaran Batumalai contributed valuable scoring input. However, they were not enough to salvage a victory for the Dragons, who could miss the play-offs if they fail to pick up wins in their final two matches, which are against the Slingers at home and away at Satria Muda BritAma.
The Slingers did not let the fans down early in the match as they took a 7-3 lead after about two and a half minutes. It was then when the Dragons coach, Goh Cheng Huat, made a brave tactical switch to introduce all five bench players on court.
It proved to be a smart move by Goh as his team managed to reduce the deficit to one point after quick, successive shots breached the Slingers' defence. Chris Kuete led the Dragons' offence with nine first-quarter points.
Marcus Ng, who guarded Kuete, kept up with the pressure and contributed his fair share of points towards the end of the first quarter. In addition, LeBlanc's heroic plays earned himself a nine-point first quarter as the Slingers took the lead after the first period at 20-15.
The home team began the second quarter with much vigour as Wei Jian began to make his mark. He drained several long-range shots to help the Slingers take a generous 10-point lead before Wong Wei Long added another three-pointer to increase the lead to 32-19. The Slingers did not look back and held a 48-30 lead at half-time, as LeBlanc and Marcus had one of their best games with 14 and 9 points respectively at the break.
The Slingers fell short at the start of the second half as the Dragons went on a quick 8-0 run led by Shee Fai and Guganeswaran. Slingers coach Frank Arsego had to settle things and called for a time-out after just over a minute of play.
After talking things over, the Slingers put on strong defensive plays leading to fast-paced attacks to counter every one of the Dragons' attempts. The lead was back up to 14 points before Shee Fai again emerged from the bench to contribute nine points in the third quarter to cut the Slingers' lead to a mere four.
The Slingers answered back. Wei Jian scored five straight points, while LeBlanc and Jeffers also managed to extend the lead back up to 11 points by the end of the third quarter. LeBlanc, Jeffers and Wei Jian were already in double figures with 18, 12 and 12 points respectively.
The Slingers had to survive another scare in the final quarter as their lead was reduced to six points, after Kuete fueled a Dragon rally in the fourth period. On the back of two consecutive victories, the Slingers did not let their lead slip.
Al Vergara and Marcus Ng became the next two starters to reach double figures as the Dragons had no answer to a great team effort from the Slingers. The Slingers will have to continue their fine winning streak to be assured of the home court advantage for the play-offs.
Wei Jian, who finished the game with 12 points, said after the match, "It was a matter of pride along the bridge." On being singled out as the top performing local player in this match, he commented, "I think every match will have a hero like what we saw in Steven (Khoo) for the last match. A hero has to step up today, and I guess I have done it."
LeBlanc, who had his fans chanting "MVP" when he was at the free throw line, was appreciative of their support throughout the season. He said, "It will be an honour for them if I will be MVP but I was not worried about individual awards when I first got here." He added, "It is about to help the guys improve and the coach and staff are really helpful along the way."
The Slingers now lie third on the league table. If they can win their three remaining games, they can pip the Patriots to first place even if both teams remained tied on points by virtue of having a better head-to-head record.
Satria Muda BritAma lie in second place. Only the top four qualify for the playoffs in the six-team league.
Quarter by Quarter Scores
Slingers vs Dragons
1st Q: 20-15
2nd Q: 28-15
3rd Q: 18-25
4th Q: 26-19
Singapore Slingers Game Box Score
| # | Name | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | OR | DR | TR | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Desmond Oh | 0 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11:10 |
| 5 | Wong Wei Long | 3 | 1/3 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10:10 |
| 10 | *Hong Wei Jian | 12 | 5/11 | 2/6 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 23:39 |
| 11 | Michael Wong | 5 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 5/6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14:05 |
| 12 | Prasad Sadasivan | DNP | ||||||||||||
| 13 | Steven Khoo | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2:26 |
| 14 | Lim Wai Sian | DNP | ||||||||||||
| 15 | Pathman Matialakan | 2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5:17 |
| 19 | *Al Vergara | 17 | 6/9 | 3/3 | 2/4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 29:50 |
| 21 | *Marcus Ng | 11 | 5/6 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 31:06 |
| 31 | *Kyle Jeffers | 16 | 6/8 | 0/0 | 4/6 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 36:37 |
| 35 | *Michael LeBlanc | 26 | 10/14 | 4/6 | 2/5 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 35:40 |
| Total | 92 | 34/56 | 10/20 | 14/23 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 18 | 200 |
KL Dragons Game Box Score
| # | Name | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | OR | DR | TR | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | *Chris Daniel Kuete Lonichi | 15 | 6/16 | 1/3 | 2/3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 28:56 |
| 10 | *Rudy Lingganay | 7 | 2/6 | 1/3 | 2/2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 19:36 |
| 11 | John Ng Yeo Seng | DNP | ||||||||||||
| 12 | *Bandaying Fhadzmir | 5 | 2/4 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11:21 |
| 14 | Koh Way Tek | 9 | 3/6 | 0/2 | 3/3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:40 |
| 18 | *Roel Hugnatan | 4 | 2/6 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11:33 |
| 20 | Loh Shee Fai | 12 | 5/6 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 18:59 |
| 24 | Chai Chze Hian | 2 | 1/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11:33 |
| 30 | *Jamal Daryl Brown | 6 | 2/7 | 0/1 | 2/2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 26:20 |
| 33 | Chee Li Wei | 6 | 3/5 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 23:42 |
| 84 | Kwaan Yoong Jing | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:55 |
| 88 | *Guganeswaran S. Batumalai | 8 | 3/9 | 2/6 | 0/0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 31:25 |
| Total | 74 | 29/69 | 7/21 | 9/10 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 23 | 200 |
Singapore Slingers 2009/10 ABL schedule
| DAY/DATE | TIME | HOME TEAM | VISITING TEAM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRE-SEASON | |||||
| Fri, Sept 18 | 8pm | S'pore Slingers | 93 | Coca-Cola Tigers | 85 |
| Wed, Sept 23 | 8pm | S'pore Slingers | 67 | Philippines | 70 |
| Wed, Sept 30 | 8pm | S'pore Slingers | 72 | Ginebra Kings | 77 |
| Sun, Oct 4 | 4pm | S'pore Slingers | 71 | San Miguel Beermen | 65 |
| ABL | |||||
| Sun, Oct 11 | 4pm | S'pore Slingers | 87 | Brunei Barracudas | 69 |
| Sun, Oct 18 | 4pm | S'pore Slingers | 74 | Philippine Patriots | 69 |
| Sat, Oct 24 | 4pm | Brunei Barracudas | 80 | S'pore Slingers | 82 |
| Sun, Nov 1 | 5pm | S'pore Slingers | 96 | Satria Muda | 72 |
| Sat, Nov 7 | 4pm | Philippine Patriots | 70 | S'pore Slingers | 53 |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 5pm | Satria Muda | 59 | S'pore Slingers | 61 |
| Sun, Nov 22 | 4pm | S'pore Slingers | 74 | KL Dragons | 84 |
| Mon, Dec 7 | 7.40pm | S'pore Slingers | 62 | Thailand Tigers | 65 |
| Sat, Dec 12 | 5pm | Satria Muda | 67 | S'pore Slingers | 58 |
| Thurs, Dec 17 | 7.40pm | S'pore Slingers | 69 | Thailand Tigers | 66 |
| Wed, Jan 6 | 7.40pm | S'pore Slingers | 67 | Philippine Patriots | 59 |
| Mon, Jan 11 | 7.40pm | S'pore Slingers | 92 | KL Dragons | 74 |
| Sun, Jan 17 | 4pm | KL Dragons | 78 | S'pore Slingers | 71 |
| Wed, Jan 20 | 8pm | Brunei Barracudas | 89 | S'pore Slingers | 95 |
| Sun, Jan 24 | 4pm | Thailand Tigers | 80 | S'pore Slingers | 92 |
| Semi-finals | |||||
| Sun, Jan 31 | 4pm | Singapore Slingers | 87 | Satria Muda | 68 |
| Wed, Feb 3 | 8pm | Satria Muda | 74 | Singapore Slingers | 45 |
| Sun, Feb 7 | 4pm | Singapore Slingers | 76 | Satria Muda | 86 |
Top scorer Michael LeBlanc (Slingers, #35) goes for two. He shot a season-high 71% from the field for the game and has averaged 19.5 points in the eight home games. (Photo 2 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Chris Kuete (Dragons, #3) attempts to round Marcus Ng (Slingers, #21). The Slinger defence managed to keep Kuete in check this time, forcing him to take 16 shots to score his 15 points. (Photo 3 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Marcus Ng, Michael LeBlanc and Hong Wei Jian (Slingers, #10) team up to try and force the ball out of the Dragons’ possession. (Photo 4 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Guganeswaran Batumalai (Dragons, #88) leaves Desmond Oh (Slingers, #2) in his wake as he charges for the basket. Guga started on the bench but played more than 31 minutes, a team-high. (Photo 5 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Jamal Brown goes for a lay up while Kyle Jeffers attempts to block. Brown could only manage six points and five rebounds against his former team after having 14 and 11 in the previous meeting on November 22. (Photo 6 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Guganeswaran makes a last minute shot just before the buzzer sounds. (Photo 7 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Dragon Jamal Brown enforcing his dominance. (Photo 8 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Marcus Ng looking round his opponent for a team mate. He shot a season-high 83%, connecting on five of his six shots. (Photo 9 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Al Vergara (Slingers, #19) finds himself in a tight spot as he tries to find a team mate. He made all three of his three-pointers after converting just two of his last 11 from downtown. (Photo 10 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Marcus Ng sends the ball past opponent Chee Li Wei (Dragons, #33) just before he steps out of the court. (Photo 11 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Michael Wong (Slingers, #11) takes a shot while Koh Way Tek looks on. Way Teck had season-highs in points, free throws made and rebounds for the Dragons. (Photo 12 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Hong Wei Jian going for a layup after making a break. He averaged 15 points in the two games against the Dragons this season. (Photo 13 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
A frustrated LeBlanc is unhappy with certain dubious calls. (Photo 14 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Michael Wong tries hard to find an open team mate. (Photo 15 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Kyle Jeffers encounters some tight defending from Chee Li Wei as he drives to the basket. Li Wei eventually fouled out for the second time in three games. (Photo 16 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Kyle Jeffers is fouled hard by his opponent as he attempts a basket. (Photo 17 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Hong Wei Jian passes behind an unsuspecting Chee Li Wei to a waiting team mate. (Photo 18 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
A familiar face at football, Eric Ong also turned up to show his support for the Slingers. (Photo 19 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
The Slingers jubilant at having made the playoffs. (Photo 20 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Sorry for being long winded (and passionate)….one last comment.
Going to the SEA games for team sports should not be about medal prospects. It should only be about how much preparation the team has put it and is that good enough to earn them the nod. Limiting spaces for individual events I can understand, based on costs and only sending the best. But not for teams. If there are players, and they are organised and they work hard, let them go.
This is the “lowest level” high profile regional competition for our national Basketballers. If we don’t let them go to the SEA games why bother with having a team? It not like we can’t afford.
IF all other countries thought like our NSA, then there would only be 3 – 4 teams competing in any of the team events.
There is a lot of glory and personal and collective satisfaction and respect gained in fighting hard, performing above your ability and still being beaten by a truly better team. Maybe more so than buying your medal via mecenary methods.
BTW, I do not feel that the Dragon’s Malaysian players held their own against our starting Slingers.
I believe the Dragon’s coach ran his 5 subs at a time strategy for 2 reasons. Initially, he wanted to show his displeasure at his starters for not matching the slinger’s energy, and was trying to increase their drive with a little humiliation. To some extent this worked as many of them came back to the game a little angry and this translated into more physical play, which helped them stay in the game.
But as it is, I feel that the Slingers matched up well with the Dragons in almost all depts. This is one of the teams that we do not give up size or energy, and on the day, we out shot them as well (or at least kept pace). Which was not always the case for us in recent games.
So they had not much choice left, but to try and wear us down, using a classic rotating bench (car-wheel) strategy. Giving the green light to their 2nd unit players to run transition and broken play offenses. Probably hoping for a few good shots and key turnovers/transition baskets to pull the game close at key moments, then put back their relatively fresh starters.
If I recall, this almost worked as they pulled back to single digit deficits at least twice in the second half, when we got carried away with the tempo and exchanged broken play offenses, at that moment there was no clear advantage for us to do so. For KL, this was a gamble, if we held our nerve and converted a few more breakaways and made a few less turnovers, if their broken play long bombs did not drop, we could have blown open the game there and then. So it’s a game ploy, which I believe is a gamble that KL would not have taken if they felt they could hold their own in the matchups.
But yes…..if our bench can be a little more mature in handling pressure, a little more confident in taking and making their open shots, a little more experienced in taking pass/shoot/drive options, we will be a really good team.
Its easy to critique and analyze when you are watching from the sidelines. 🙂
Go Slingers!!!
As far as I can remember, over the the last 20 years…on the Asean basketball pecking scale, the Philippines and Malaysian National teams have always played at higher level than Singapore. Even at out best levels and with good preparation, Singapore was only challenging Indonesia and perhaps Thailand for the bronze medal. So it is not surprising if the Dragon’s bench looks good.
The issue here is that our local boys now have a chance to play basketball and earn an income, which allows them to dedicate time and focus on their sport. Also, playing and training with higher level players and at higher levels of skill and physical tempo will be good for them as athletes.
Already, I can improvements in most of them.
Watching the Dragon’s bench play made me worried for the Singapore national team. I think we have yet to see this kind of maturity from our local boys collectively. If the local M’sian boys can hold their own against our imports, imagine the damage they can do to our local boys. Of course, I hope our local boys continue to improve and earn the nod from SNOC for the next SEA Games. Go Slingers!
The Slingers did it!