Prysmian-AII have s-final date

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, April 30, 2010

PRYSMIAN were right on cue with a 94-52 demolition of Yun Hin in the
quarter-finals of the 2nd Under-21 Brunei Youth Basketball Championship
(BYBC) at the Kampung Baru basketball court in Seria last night.

Liew Ming Yang was the topscorer for Prysmian with 19 points while Yeo Chun Kiat contributed 16 points in the lopsided victory.

It was a closer affair in the first half with Prysmian, who were missing two key players Darren Wong and Justin Ling, opening up a 48-32 advantage at halftime. They caught fire after the interval using water tight defence
to cruise to victory.

"The game went really well for us and it was smooth sailing. Now we're just looking forward to the semi-finals," said Yeo, a forward of Prysmian, in an interview with The Brunei Times, after the triumph.

"It was a very satisfying win especially sincewe managed to do a bit of full court pressure defence and put the set plays that we learned during training into use," added the 17-year-old cager.

Prysmian will now face American International Industries (AII), who easily defeated Starz Boutique 107-72 in the other quarter-final last night.

Loo Zhi Hung was the go-to-man for AII with a game-high of 26 points while Tony Bong scored 20 points in the victory.

AII started brightly and were in the driving seat at 40-32 at halftime. They then switched gears in the second half for the lopsided victory.

Prysmian said they are ready to go all out against AII in their semi-final clash.

"We need to get our game together against them. Most important for us is to box out for the rebounds as they have got some tall players," said Yeo.

"We're confident we can make it to the final with the momentum that we've got. We'll have Darren and (Justin Ling) Jia Hau back for the match which is a plus as we will have more substitutions," added the forward.

The competition continues today with defending champions Easyway going up against Chicken King at 7pm in the first semi-final.

The game between Prysmian and AII follows at 8.15pm.

The final will be held tomorrow at 8.15pm right after the third-place playoff.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Prysmian are cruising along in under-21 basketball tourney

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, April 29, 2010

PRYSMIAN are looking good as one of the teams to beat and they believe that can take it all the way at the Second Under-21 Brunei Youth Basketball Championship at the Kampung Baru basketball court in Seria.

They ended the group stages with a perfect record to top Group B and move into the quarter-finals.

The side from Seria are averaging winning margins of just over 34 points per game and averaging 83 points per game in their four victories so far in the tournament. Their biggest triumph was a 111-35 thrashing of Binaan Janah Jaya on April 17.

However, they will have to take care of business as usual against Yun Hin tonight and win their semi-final game the day after before entering the
final on Saturday that the pundits had predicted.

Prysmian have every right to be confident against Yun Hin, who are coming off three consecutive losses heading into tonight's game.

"We're confident that we can win this match as we have played against them before. We have a very good chance and we want to play against Easyway so hopefully we can both make it to the final," said Yeo Chun Kiat, the forward who will spearhead Prysmian, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"We managed to train yesterday (Tuesday) and we're focusing on tightening our defence. If we can pull if off then we'll get our offence going from there," added Yeo.

"We have the height and size advantage as well so we'll have to use that to the max and play our low post game," continued the 17-year-old.

The key big men in the line-up for Prysmian include Darren Wong and Liew Ming Yang.

On the other hand, Yun Hin know the task at hand but know that there is
nothing to lose with what Prysmian are capable of.

"We'll just have to play the game with teamwork and stay focus the whole time even if we're winning or losing. We joined the tournament for the sake of having fun so we know it's going to be difficult without any practices prior to the game," said Dominic Tang, shooting guard of Yun Hin.

The game will tip off at 7pm.

The other quarter-final match pits American International Industries (AII) against Starz Boutique at 8.15pm.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Ex-Barracudas import Reggie to play in Philippines

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

FORMER Barracudas import, Reggie Larry, has made his way back to
Southeast Asia. But this time it isn't Brunei, but the Philippines to
play for Air21 in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

"They finally made a decision to sign me after they lost two straight games with their last import (Jason Forte)," said Larry, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"I've decided to sign with the team to keep my career going and doing what I love which is basketball. It's way better than staying at home and playing open gym basketball," added the 23-year-old American.

Larry is no stranger to the Philippine basketball scene after he competed for the Derby Ace (Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants) in last year's Fiesta Cup but was forced out after he fractured his hand. When asked about his chances of playing for the Barracudas next season, the former Boise State forward replied: "I would love to come back and play for the Barracudas but we need to get that going again soon. I've got some unfinished business there.

"When I'm done here, hopefully I can go back to Brunei and have the fans love basketball because after every game more and more people started to go and watch," added Larry.

The 6ft 6in forward was the topscorer for the Barracudas in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) last season averaging 19.4 points per game (second overall in ABL) and 3.1 assists per game (second overall in ABL).

Larry will make his debut against Talk N Text on May 1 with Air21 hoping to end a four-game slide.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Can Easyway clinch Awesome win?

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

EASYWAY made things look really easy cruising through their group matches at the 2nd Under-21 Brunei Youth Basketball Championship (BYBC) at the Kampung Baru basketball court in Seria.

The defending champions ended the group stages with a flawless record to top Group A and move into the quarter-finals.

Boasting five players Jamri Ramlee, Lim Liang Wei, Khoo Chin Kai, Hj Md Badri Hj Suhaili and Afif Khalidi from the national squad, defence has always been key to their victories limiting their opponents to an average of just over 36 points per game in their four matches so far.

In addition, they are averaging 65-point victory margins, scoring an average of 102 points per game with their biggest victory being a 129-10 demolition of Crasher last Thursday.

Their last win on Saturday was equally impressive, playing full court pressure defence the whole way using only six players, but still delivered with a 79-30 triumph over Yun Hin.

Their next target are Awesome, who haven't had the best of luck after
dropping three consecutive matches that saw them seeded fourth in Group B, in the final eight. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Basketball: Easy win for Easyway

Jamri scored 20 points for Easyway. Picture: BT

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, April 25, 2010

THE name says it all: Easyway as easy does. The Under-21 squad continued their domination of Group A with a 79-30 pummelling of Yun Hin last night in the 2nd Under-21 Brunei Youth Basketball Championship (BYBC) at the Kampung Baru Basketball court in Seria.

Only six players laced up for the defending champions it was all that was needed.

National player Khoo Chin Kai topscored for the team with 22 points and added six rebounds and five steals.

Two other fellow national players also did some heavy damage. Hj Md Badri Hj Suhaili flirted with a triple-double, racking up 21 points, 11 steals and eight rebounds while Jamri Ramlee had 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the triumph.

Easyway cruised to a 41-13 lead by the end of the first half and never looked back.

"Badri had a big game. He was hustling all over the court for steals and points on the break. We played our 1-2-1-1 full court pressure defence which really made our opponents' point guard work hard," said Jamri, the captain of Easyway, in an interview with The Brunei Times, after the victory.

"However, they did manage to break our press some times with their speed. But we were lucky not to get into foul trouble with only so few players for the game as well," added the 18-year-old player.

In the second Group A match, Choo Seng had an easy outing with a 70-38 demolition of Crasher.

The competition continues today with the final two games of the group stages in Group B. Chicken King will face off against Binaan Janah Jaya at 7pm followed by a matchup between Awesome and Prysmian at 8.15pm.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Easyway crush Crasher

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, April 23, 2010

EASYWAY stamped their class on Crasher with a 129-10 demolition in Group A of the 2nd Under-21 Brunei Youth Basketball Championship (BYBC) at the Kampung Baru Basketball court in Seria last night.

Boasting five national cagers Khoo Chin Kai, Jamri Ramlee, Lim Liang Wei, Hj Md Badri Hj Suhaili and Afif Khalidi the victory is their third straight and the game was already over at halftime with the defending champions leading 54-4.

According to Khoo, who nailed eight triples for a game-high of 32 points, it was their full court pressure that sealed their opponents' fate.

"We treated the match like a training session by applying the full court press which our opponents failed to break. We wanted to increase our efficiency on defence too since the next round will get tougher," said Khoo.

Asked about the next round, the Easyway guard replied: "We're pretty confident at this stage ... hopefully we can retain the title."

In the second match, American International Industries (AII) picked up their third win of thecompetition with an 88-49 victory over Yun Hin in Group A.

The tournament continues today with Prysmian going up against Binaan Janah Jaya in Group B at 7pm. A matchup between Starz Boutique and Awesome, also from Group B, will be on at 8.15pm.

Source: The Brunei Times

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20 girls undergo basketball pre-trials

Assistant national coach Maxim Yap conducted the pre-trials for women basketball players yesterday. Picture: BT/ Yee Chun Leong

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, April 23, 2010

THINGS were looking up after the second session of pre-trials for women basketball players at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat yesterday.

Under the watchful gaze of assistant national coach Maxim Yap, some 20 girls underwent level two skills drills and stamina testing in the hope of advancing to further training with national basketball coach Kevin Reece.

"We're currently undergoing intermediate drills and there are seven of them that have been identified so far that can make it to the main sessions. But the main problem is stamina. Everyone will have to work on that," said Yap, in an interview with The Brunei Times.

"Seven won't be able to make a team and there are currently some who are studying overseas. We're encouraging those that are lacking to step up within the next two weeks to try and make the main sessions," added Yap.

"Since we're only doing introductory sessions, the number of drills will eventually increase but be done in a shorter time," continued the 30-year-old Yap.

Reece previously told The Brunei Times about there being too many smokers in camp.

"We're trying to resolve this issue. We're working together on figuring out ways to make them quit. We're going to do this as a family. Everyone needs to be healthy or no one plays," said Yap.

"In the end, all those selected will have to go through the national
fitness test to qualify."

The Katok Sixth Form Centre (PTE Katok) teacher knows the national team well, having coached them in last year's Borneo City Cup in Miri, Sarawak.

"We only had 20 sessions to prepare for last year. We couldn't focus on the basics and our training sessions were not run strict enough. This time around we're getting some order and discipline into the squad," said Yap.

However, Yap points to a need for a female assistant coach to step up and join the squad.

"We're in need of more coaches. We need someone who is dedicated enough to help improve the level of basketball in the country," said the assistant coach.

"After all, teaching is all about giving and it's the same for coaching," Yap added.

He pointed out that the pre-evaluation sessions will be held for another
two weeks with the next one taking place on Tuesday from 5.30 to 7.30pm.

Source: The Brunei Times

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National team accentuate the positives

(Top) Kenny Lim (L), defends
Muiz Abd Ghani in a training session yesterday. (Above) National coach Kevin Reece at a training session in Berakas, yesterday. Pictures: BT/Yee Chun Leong

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

FOR a national team which failed to make the semi-finals of the recently concluded BBA Open Challenge Trophy, the atmosphere in camp is surprisingly upbeat.

Playing under the banner of Soon
Lee-Easyway, the national team opened their account with a demolition of Al-Ssarah Eagles by an 86-point margin (132-46) and then completely destroyed Ford by 120 points in a 162-42 win.

However, the good times were not going to last forever. Two lacklustre performances later,a 99-84 loss to Babes Boutique, followed by a 68-54 defeat at the hands of Ilonggo Stingers saw their confidence slump and their title aspirations end.

"My players and coaching staff are not living up to other people's expectations. This is a marathon and not a sprint. There is no easy solution, we have to start from the ground up as we only had 21 sessions before the competition," said Kevin Reece, the national basketball coach, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"The players are still learning the system. They are slowly developing and improving but we need more positiveness instead of the negativity. Some people see the team as having a lack of talent but we have proven that we can compete against the top teams in the country," added Reece.

"We lost to the previous champions and the eventual finalists.We had the toughest group against the best teams but we didn't get blown out," continued the 49-year-old coach.

The LA Lakers fan also thanked the community for being supportive of his programme. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Reece calls out all female ballers

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, April 21, 2010

THE search is on for the cream of the country's female basketball crop
as Kevin Reece, the national basketball coach, embarks on his quest to
fill his roster ion the run up to future tournaments.

"We're trying to find the girls who can make it through practice. The main
concern is that we can not have smokers. I don't think that smokers will
be able to handle this type of intensity," said Reece, in an interview
with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"I'll salute those who can make it through but they will have to ask themselves whether they can give it a 100 per cent physically. They will need to have the necessities in order to become better and that includes not smoking," added the national coach.

In addition to forming a squad, Reece is also looking for a suitable female assistant coach. Currently, the sessions are being handled by the duo of assistant coaches of Maxim Yap and Hj MdSofrian Hj Md Yusof

Yesterday marked the first session for a pre-evaluation of players and tomorrow is the second session from 5-7pm at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Tan shows he's still the best

Esmond Tan, the Plaza Sutera
Biru player, celebrates winning the Open Category crown on Saturday. Picture: BT/Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, April 19, 2010

ESMOND TAN once again proved that he is arguably the best cager in the Sultanate after guiding Plaza Sutera Biru to the title of the Open
Category of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy on Saturday night.

A fan of LeBron James, Tan is as important to his team as King James is to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their NBA championship campaign this season. Tan was the go-to-man for Plaza Sutera Biru and his 33-point
performance on Saturday helped erase a 25-point deficit for an 83-77
victory over the Ilonggo Stingers in the final.

The versatile and super-fit Tan tormented his defenders for the whole 40 minutes on Saturday with his long range shooting, ball penetration, rebounding and post-up moves.

And being the sixth man on rotation for the Barracudas in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) last season, the six footer is able to handle the ball at the point as well.

However, he played the small forward position for Plaza Sutera Biru and averaged a total of 26.1 points per game in the competition.

Tan had his best mark in the semi-final win over Babes Boutique where he scored 35 points last Tuesday.

The Bruneian put in three 28-point performances in the group stages and it was only against Urbanchic Boutique that he was in single digit scoring only five points. (His team, however, still ran out comfortable 65-40 winners in the match on March 29).

But what makes this talented cager from the Tutong district a superstar in the sport?

"He is just very good as a player. Even the best defenders here (in Brunei) can't stop him," said Fong Yeh Leong, Tan's Plaza Sutera Biru teammate, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"Over the past two years, he has improved a lot. He used to be more on the offence, but now he's also got better on defence," added Fong. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Forte fails to change Air21’s fortunes, given pink slip

For two games, Air21 tried to change its fortunes by tapping the
services of Jason Forte.

Forte’s efforts weren’t enough and the Express wasted no time to call on
the team’s third reinforcement this conference – Reggie Larry.

Brunei Barracudas' Reggie Larry, right, protects the ball against the defense of Philippine Patriots' Rob Wainwright during their ASEAN Basketball League game early this year. Larry is being tapped by Air21 as its next import replacing Jason Forte.BruneiBasketball.com

Larry, a former Boise State standout, was supposed to suit up for Derby Ace (Purefoods TJ Giants) in last year’s Fiesta Cup, but fractured his hand forcing the Llamados to tap Brian Hamilton.



Hamilton, however, was replaced by Marquin Chandler after a few games.

This time, Larry will get his baptism of fire in the country’s premier
professional league, which celebrates its 35th anniversary on April 9.

“I come to win," said Larry in a Facebook interview. “I should have been
there. I was willing to come over even if I have to pay for my own ticket just to prove to any team that I deserve a spot."

Larry was once named to the CollegeHoops.net’s First-Team High-Major
All-American.

The Brick City, New Jersey native is no stranger to Philippine basketball since he played for the Brunei Barracudas in the ASEAN Basketball League, which was won by the Philippine Patriots of coach Louie Alas.

“I’ve worked out in Boise trying to get myself in shape because I know
the arenas in the Philippines are like 106 degrees inside," said Larry.

Larry was best remembered for steering the 14th-seed Boise University
Broncos to its first Big Dance in the East Region of the US NCAA.

After playing at Barringer High School in Newark, Larry played two years
at the College of Southern Idaho, one of the country's top JUCO programs. He landed at Boise State in 2007, averaging 14.1 points and
8.1 rebounds.

In 2008, he set a school record for points in a season, 647, becoming
the first Bronco to amass 1,000 career points in just two years. Read More...
 
Source: Rey Joble, GMANews.TV

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PSB seal title with comeback

Plaza Sutera Biru pose with their trophy after winning the Open Category of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat. Picture: BT/Maui Salazar

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, April 18, 2010

PLAZA SUTERA BIRU overcame a 25-point deficit with a tenacious defensive effort to emerge champions of the Open Category of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy scoring an 83-77 victory over the Ilonggo Stingers at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat last night.

Plaza Sutera Biru, with only eight players on their roster, had four players in double figures with Esmond Tan heading the list with a game-high of 33 points.

Fong Yeh Leong contributed 18 points while Lim Aik Hock and Jong Guo Zhang each chipped in 11 points in the triumph.

On the other hand, Cesar Asaldo topscored for the Stingers with 17 points and Ronald Arabia poured in 13 points in the loss.

The Stingers got off to a brilliant start, raining down from three-point territory. The all-Filipino side connected on six triples in the opening period with Asaldo and Lowey Jee Palma nailing three apiece.

On the other hand, Plaza Sutera Biru were luckless missing eight of their attempts for the quarter.

They were also punished with their 1-3-1 defence as the Stingers were lobbing to Rio Oblido who would dish out to the open man for the shot opening up a 30-9 advantage heading into the second stanza.

The Belait side continued where they left off starting with a trey by Nick Garcia on their first possession.

They extended their cushion to as large as 25 points with the scoreboard reading 42-17 at the midway mark. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Stingers out to give Sutera Biru the blues

Esmond Tan of Plaza Sutera
Biru goes for a shot in their semi-final match of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy against Babes Boutique on April 13. Picture: BT/Yee Chun Leong

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, April 17, 2010

WILL three times be the charm for the Ilonggo Stingers when they face
off against Plaza Sutera Biru tonight in the final of the BBA Open
Challenge Trophy?

The Stingers have now made it to three consecutive finals but failed to lift the silverware on any of those occasions.

They were robbed of the title after a 79-78 loss to Hyundai Setia Motors, the 2009 Brunei national team, in the final of the Belait Sultan's Cup in July last year and lost to the Ilonggo Slashers 72-63 in the final of the Brunei Shell Recreational Club (BSRC) five-on-five Open basketball tournament in February.

The Stingers are in a confident mood after defeating the tournament favourites, NBT, in the semi-final heading into the championship match and are hungry for their first title.

"We need to bounce (back) from those losses.

"Those were tough defeats especially as we had led those games," said Rhaul Palma Jr, the head coach of the Stingers, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"We'll have to play good defence and execute. Our concern is minimising our turnovers and we are familiar with the game plan of our opponents, having played against them many times," added Palma Jr.

However, the all-Filipino Belait side, that have had only practice session in the run up know what adjustments are needed. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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UBD down ITB to clinch hat-trick of titles

The UBD basketball team in a
group photo with coach, Lim Kok Shien (right), after winning the 2010 UBD Cup at the UBD Sports Complex in Tungku Link. Picture Courtesy of Jayden Sia

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, April 16, 2010

GOOD things come in threes. But when it comes to racking up
championships, a three-peat is the Holy Grail of basketball even if
that grail is found at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) Cup.

UBD achieved that feat by downing Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) 80-61 in the final on Wednesday night at the UBD Sports Complex in Tungku Link near here.

National baller Yap Chun Ping was the topscorer of the match with 37 points while Ng Lit How poured in 17 in the triumph.

For ITB, another national player, Choo Yung Jian, had 28 points to lead the team while Anderson Yeo chipped in 26 points in a losing effort.

The defending champions started out slowly as ITB drained threes to open up a double digit lead at 29-15 heading into the second period.

However, foul trouble crept in for the contenders with Choo and George See picking up their fourth fouls before halftime. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Babes bounce back for bronze

Jeff Paraiso of NBT goes for a
layup against Babes Boutique in their third-place playoff match of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat last night. Babes Boutique won 97-91. Picture: BT/Yee Chun Leong

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, April 16, 2010

SQUARING off for the second time in as many nights, the players from
Babes Boutique were looking for a reversal of their fortunes against NBT
at the BBA Open Challenge Trophy. And that is exactly what they got.

While never reaching the intensity of the final the pundits had predicted
before the competition started, there were fireworks in the last quarter
before Babes ran out 97-91 winners in the third-place playoff at the
Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat last night.

The two squads had played to a standstill in Wednesday night's overtime
final of Brunei Streetball 2010 between Hope and GILR Wildcats. Hope won that one.

But last night, Josend Mangoroban put together a magnificent shooting effort enroute to a game-high 35 points for Babes.

Three other players were also in double figures for the 2009 Brunei Pepsi Cup champions. Roldan Binas poured in 20 points while Mark del Mundo and Don Mordeno chipped in 16 and 14 respectively.

Geve Leones topscored for NBT with 26 points while Jeff Paraiso contributed 18 points to a losing cause.

The game got off to a slow start with both teams looking exhausted from Wednesday's final.

Babes' defence was not its stifling best, gifting NBT open looks and allowing them to open up a 21-11 lead heading into the second quarter.

Babes were careless on offence while their opponents continued to score
points from the break. Mangoroban was taking matters into his own hands by attacking the rim to keep his team within shouting distance. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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BBA: Where Hope resides

(Top) Don Mordeno of the GILR
Wildcats goes for a layup against Hope in the final of StreetballBrunei
2010 last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat. (Above) Hope emerged as champions by defeating the GILR
Wildcats 126-123 Picture: BT/Maui Salazar

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, April 15, 2010

HOPE picked up their second straight title after dethroning a
foul-plagued GILR Wildcats 126-123 in overtime of the final of StreetballBrunei 2010 last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

The win, which follows their Filipino Amateur Basketball (FAB) tournament triumph last month, saw Jeff Paraiso topscored with 24 points while Majomar Aying poured in 23 points. Mark Padilla also had a good game by racking up 17 points in the victory.

The GILR Wildcats started the match with 10 players on the roster and endedup bizarrelly with only four left standing at the end of the final
buzzer. Don Mordeno had a monster game, scoring 49 for the GILR  Wildcats and Ronnel Sugnan contributed a 32-point effort; but it wasn't enough for them to defend their title.

Having trailed for much of the game including a deficit as large as 17 points in the first half, Hope picked up the slack after the interval. The Wildcats had played much of the match on the break that let them open up a 52-45 lead by halftime. However, Hope played through their big men down low as the Wildcats racked up the fouls.

Paraiso finally gave Hope their first lead of the match on a layup with 14 seconds to go in the third quarter at 77-74. At that point, the crowd was getting behind the team with chants of "Defence! Defence!" before Mordeno silenced the Hope fans with a three-pointer at the buzzer to keep the Wildcats up 80-78 heading into the final stanza. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Hope wins Championship in Overtime

Rey Katipunan drove court to court to score for  Wildcats to tie the
score 112-112 as Don Mordeno could not get an open space to receive the ball.

In Overtime, Wildcats ran into foul trouble utilizing 3 players in
the final moments after Mordeno fouled out and Wilmar Canapi had to go
back to the bench due to injury.

Ronnel Sugnan failed in his last ditch attempt to tie again after his
3 point try but missed the mark to finish at 126-123.

The StreetballBrunei 2010 Champions.

Source: StreetBallBrunei

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7-man Plaza Sutera Biru overwhelm Babes Boutique

Esmond Tan drives to the hoop
against Babes Boutique last night in their semi-final match in Batu
Bersurat.Picture: BT/Maui Salazar

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, April 14, 2010

PLAZA SUTERA BIRU once again proved that quality is better than quantity
last night in their semi-final of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy.

With only seven players suited up, they eeked out a 94-88 upset win over Babes Boutique at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat. Thye now have a date with the Ilonggo Stingers in the final.

Former vice-captain of the Barracudas, Esmond Tan, led Plaza Sutera Biru with 35 points while Fong Yeh Leong poured in 16.

Don Mordeno tallied agame-high 41 points for Babes Boutique while Josend Mangoroban and Mark Del Mundo chipped in 18 and 16 points respectively in a losing effort.

Plaza Sutera Biru came out strong on the back of some tenacious defence. Babes Boutique were limited in their running game and were forced to take outside shots which gifted Plaza Sutera Biru fastbreak points from easy defensive rebounds. Fong had the hot hand early on, nailing three treys in the opening period as his team opened up a 24-14 advantage going into the second quarter.

Babes Boutique were playing man-to-man defence but Plaza Sutera Biru countered with isolation plays in the paint through their big men. The 2009 Brunei Pepsi Cup Champions failed to put a body on the Plaza Sutera Biru players on most occasions, who penetrated the porous defence for easy layups to stay ahead 48-38 at halftime. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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StreetBall: Hope and GILR Wildcats reaches Finals

Championship Game:

Wednesday, 14 April at 8:30pm – Hope vs GILR Wildcats

Latest:

Hope and GILR Wildcat agreed for an all out championship where both imports can be fielded at the same time.

Hope will be parading the  duo of Marjomar Aying and Jeff Paraiso against Wildcats’ duo of Don Mordeno and Ronnel Sugnan.

Coaches of both teams look forward to a more exciting game as both teams can use their imports at the same time.

Source: StreetBallBrunei

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Stingers take sting out of NBT

Nick Garcia (L) of the Ilonggo Stingers skies for the rebound against Armando Estoesta (second from left) of NBT in the semi-final of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat. The Stingers beat favourites NBT 97-84. Picture: BT/Yee Chun Leong

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Tuesday, April 13, 2010

THE Ilonggo Stingers staged a late comeback to upset favourites NBT
97-84 in the semi-finals of the Open Category of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat last night.

The Stingers had four players in double figures with Reggie Malinao notching a game-high of 23 points while Cesar Asaldo contributed 22 points. Rio Oblido scored 20 points and Lowey Jee Palma chipped in 12 in the victory.

On the other hand, Geve Leones, Majomar Aying and Jeff Paraiso each had 21 points for NBT to a losing cause.

NBT carried a 69-60 advantage heading into the final stanza but seemed out of sync as they were forcing too many outside shots.

The Stingers, who have the size advantage, were playing smart basketball and setting on offence through their bigs of Oblido and
Malinao. They were dominating the boards and knocking down second
chance opportunities and finally grabbed the lead at 74-73 for the
first time when Asaldo fired a trey with more than five minutes to go.

The Stingers also stepped up at the defensive end resulting in NBT
committing turnovers leading to fastbreak points.

NBT never looked the side that would regain control of the match as the Belait side outscored their opponents 37-15 in the final period to complete the upset.

"We were down in the first half as they had the advantage in speed. Asaldo was the man of the match as the turning point came only in the fourth quarter when he knocked down two big three-pointers," said Palma, in an interview with The Brunei Times, after the triumph
last night.

"The momentum was with us and we picked up the  defence forcing them to take difficult shots and it turned out to be a great game for us in the end," added the captain. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Plaza Sutera Biru give Teik the blues

Plaza Sutera Biru's Lim Aik
Hock goes for a lay-up during the Brunei Basketball Association Open Challenge Trophy game against Teik Goldsmith. Plaza Sutera Biru won 64-56. Picture: BT/Maui Salazar

Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Monday, April 12, 2010

PLAZA SUTERA BIRU proved that quality is better than quantity when they booked their place in the semi-final of the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) Open Challenge Trophy after a 64-56 win over Teik Goldsmith last night.

Despite a severely limited bench — only six players showed up for Plaza Sutera Biru — the ones that did lace up made it count.

It was a must-win game for Teik if they wanted to reach the last four but with Plaza Sutera Biru's advantage in height and experience — Esmond Tan, Ho Hee Lee, Lim Aik Hock and Xavier Fong were in last season's Barracudas team — the shallow bench wasn't a problem.

The win books them a date with 2009 Brunei Pepsi Cup champions Babes Boutique in the last four at 8.30pm tomorrow, and Plaza Sutera Biru's captain admitted that the team will be faced with another incomplete bench.

"A few of our players were overseas and it is most likely we will have only seven players in our next match," said the small-forward who scored his team's last eight points en-route to a game-high 28 points.

"Our defense played well tonight (Sunday) and they (Teik) couldn't break our 3-2 strategy.

"Our height helped us to box out but we will need to step up our defense in our next game," added Tan, who was the vice-captain of the Barracudas' last season.

Fong, Tan and Yam Wan Fung were dominant under the boards and prevented Teik from second-chance points. Leslie Chia scored Plaza
Sutera Biru's first seven points and the team would take a 16-14 lead
into the second quarter.

Teik's captain and Tan's Barracudas teammate, Benjamin Lim, took it upon himself to dictate the play and the match-up between him and Tan was particularly interesting.

However,as a whole, the Teik failed to click and were victim to Plaza Sutera Biru's good play on the break.

Chia missed a three-pointer at the buzzer but Plaza Sutera Biru was still able to enjoy a 29-25 lead after the first half.

Lim Aik Hock's distribution and Plaza Sutera Biru's superior ball rotation helped open up a 47-40 advantage heading into the final stanza, and it was his jumper in the last six minutes which opened up a 10-point lead (53-42). Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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NBT tame Shark to keep perfect record

Jeff Paraiso of NBT dribbles
the ball in their match against Shark in Group A of the Open Category of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy in Batu Bersurat last night. Picture: BT/Yee Chun Leong

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, April 10, 2010

NBT kept their perfect record intact last night edging the Shark 93-91
in Group A of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy at the Brunei Basketball
Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat.

Geve Leones and Majomar
Aying had the bulk of the points for NBT combining for 45 of the team's
points. Leones had 25 points while Aying scored 20. Armando Estoesta
also had a good game contributing 17 points while Paul Ponio chipped in
13 points.

On the other hand, Elvin Requintin had a game-high 35 points while Aries Castro and Apollo Bibat notched up 21 and 20 points
respectively in the loss.

It was a bizarre ending to an entertaining see-saw battle between the two teams. The scoreboard was reading 87-93 in favour of NBT with less than 20 seconds to go but they were complacent and let their guard down gifting Requintin an open three-pointer. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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R&T 'B' in semis after Skywalkers rout

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, April 9, 2010

R&T ELECTRONIC 'B' booked a berth in the semi-finals with a 122-71
demolition of the Glaic's Skywalkers last night in Group B of the
veterans category (35 years old and above) at the Brunei Basketball
Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat.

It was never a contest.R&T 'B' dominated their opponents in all departments to open up a lead as large as 20 points in the opening period. They doubled that advantage by halftime.

"Actually their key players turned up latefor the game. We opened with a strong start and led all the way," said R&T 'B' forward Adam Albert Chu after the victory.

"They cameback a little bit after their players came in the second half, but we continued to pressure them as we didn't want to become complacent."

Sonny Bautista topscored with 27 points and Ho Poh San contributed 21 in the victory.

"We still need some adjustments as Bautista hasn't played for a bit due to injury and our other player (Justin Kennedy) is still blending into the team," said Chu, when asked about their next match against SGC Palm Cafe on Sunday.

In the other match, Ilonggo Stingers were given a 30-0 win by default after Al-Ssarah Eagles failed to show up for the match.

The competition continues today with the Glaic Skywalkers taking on SGC Palm Cafe in Group B of the veterans category at 7pm.

NBT go up against Shark in Group A of the Open Category at 8pm.

Source: The Brunei Times

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NBT demolish Teik Goldsmith to reach semis

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, April 8, 2010

NBT stamped their class over Teik Goldsmith 81-67 last night to book a
semi-final berth in the BBA Open Challenge Trophy at the Brunei
Basketball Association (BBA) in Batu Bersurat.

Majomar Aying came up with another sterling performance and finished with a game-high of 28 points.

Jeff Paraiso also delivered for NBT by chipping in 16 points while Geve Leones was in his elements as well and contributed 10 points. respectively.

It was a sorry loss for Teik Goldsmith who were also hoping of advancing into the next round.

Benjamin Lim led Teik Goldsmith with 23 points, including six three-pointers while Mark See chipped in 17 points.

After taking a 23-15 first-quarter lead, NBT never looked back.

Teik Goldsmith made several attempts to get back into the game but all their efforts went to naught as NBT kept their momentum en route to their third straight victory.

"Teamwork is getting better now but we'll have to further improve in our next practice sessions as the next round is going to be difficult," said
Leones.

NBT head coach, Raul Dimaano, was satisfied with the
triumph.

"I didn't expect to win by such a margin tonight (Wednesday night) but as long as we get a win, it is alright," said Dimaano.

"We're getting better and stronger after each game. The main key is to get to know each other but we know we need to practise more to get ready for the next round," said the NBT head coach.

"We should be facing either the Ilonggo Stingers or Soon Lee-Easyway and we must be prepared for them. We still need to polish up on our teamwork," continued Dimaano.

The competition continues tonight at 7 with the Glaic's Skywalkers taking on R&T 'B' in Group B of the veterans (35 years old and above) category.

The match between Ilonggo Stingers and Al-Ssarah Eagles in Group B of the Open category follows at 8.30pm.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Babes Boutique pull off stunning win over Soon Lee-Easyway

Roldan Binas (R) of Babes
Boutique gets fouled by Muiz Ghani of Soon Lee-Easyway during last night's game at the BBA Open Challenge Trophy.Picture: BT/Maui Salazar

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

WHAT a difference a week makes. In Soon Lee-Easyway's two games last
week, the national squad handed out beatings of 84 and 120 points to
their overwhelmed opponents. Last night they came back to earth with a
thud when Babes Boutique shocked them with a 99-84 victory in Group B of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat.

In a game that stretched more than two hours, Babes had six players score in double figures. Josend Mangoroban led the way with 21 points followed by Mark Del Mundo with 17, Wilmar Canapi 12 while Jeoffrey Camay, Ronnel Sugnan and Roldan Binas each chipped in 10.

Yap Cup Ping had a game-high 34 points for Soon Lee-Easyway but he couldn't carry the team down the stretch.

SoonLee-Easyway's vaunted defence went from suffocating to porous against the 2009 Brunei Pepsi Cup champions. Foul trouble also plagued the national squad as they racked up 43 in comparison to Babes' 25.

"We won the game with our experience tonight (Tuesday night). Our opponents had a lot of stamina which made it difficult but we're also lucky that Mordeno didn't foul out," said Babes Boutique head coach Albert Cenabre.

"Our 1-2-2 defence worked well in the first half but switching to man-to-man really did the damage in the second half," he added.

National basketball coach, Kevin Reece, on the other hand, pointed to being dominated in the paint and on the boards as keys to his team's first loss of the season.

"We were giving them too many second chance shots. We also didn't make the right decisions on our fast breaks. We just didn't play to our full potential," said Reece.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Too easy for Easyway

A Soon Lee-Easyway player
(second from left) is being blocked by an Al-Ssarah Eagles player (R)
during their BBA Open Challenge Trophy last night. Picture:BT/Yusri
Adanan

Jason Thomas

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, April 3, 2010

SOON LEE-EASYWAY and national basketball coach Kevin Reece think his team are disrespected in the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) Open Challenge Trophy. Their response was to hand out a 132-46 pounding to Al-Ssarah Eagles in their first match.

"I think everybody wanted to prove the naysayers wrong," said Reece.

"Aspirations for us are low and nobody believes us. That was our motivation, that was our mission.

"Who are the naysayers? The haters? They know who they
are," added the American.

If this is parity in the league, then the other teams are in for a rough time of it if last night's 86 points drubbing was any indication.

After taking a 41-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, it was difficult to see why Reece feels his team have their detractors.

Double and triple teaming the ballhandlers, the contest was decided almost before it began.

Reece made sure his players hustled for every ball and used his deep bench to ensure there were always fresh legs on the court.

Their control of the boards was another factor, and their ability to drive to the hoop meant most of their baskets came from inside the paint.

Starting the third quarter down 62-22, Al-Ssarah Eagles never looked like
mounting a comeback with their poor shooting and tired legs sealing  their fate.

Decimating their opponents on the fast break, Soon Lee-Easyway took a 93-33 lead heading into the final period, with Lim hitting the century mark two and a half minutes into the period. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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GC Palm Cafe serve up a drubbing

Sid Palaspas (L) of SGC Palm
Cafe shields the ball from Koy Kaju of Rotary Switch Testing Company in their Group B match of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat last night. Picture: BT/Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, April 2, 2010

SGC Palm Cafe hammered Rotary Switch Testing Company 74-55 in their opening game of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy last night at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat.

SGC had fourplayers in double figures, including R Galvadores, who racked up a game-high 21 points while Tarciano Shibaan and Jerson Mendoza each chipped in 12 points. Albert Cenabre also contributed 10.

For Rotary, Lim Woe Kuang topscored with 16 points while Tan Thing Teck poured in 12 in a losing effort.

The match was all one-way traffic from the outset as SGC Palm Cafe controlled the game at both ends of the floor.

Rotary's defence was abysmal, leaving lanes wide open for SGC to cut inside and score inside the paint.

At the end of the first quarter, SGC Palm Cafe had opened up a 21-11 lead.

The second period proved to be more of the same, SGC ran their offence
through their bigs (Jess De Jesus and Mendoza).

Rotary had to rely on their outside shooting to keep them in the game, eventually going on a run near the break to trail 34-26 at halftime. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Shark stamp class over Urban Chic Boutique

Shark's Elvin Requintin goes

for a shot against Urban Chic Boutique in Group A of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat. Picture: BT/Yee Chun Leong

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

SHARK sent a message to the other teams swimming in the Group A waters
of the BBA last night when it crushed Urban Chic Boutique 94-75 at the
Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat.

Shark had five players score in double figures. Danial Kelvin Ong topscored with 20 points, Elvin Requintin contributed 14 points, Aries Castro and Apollo Bibat each chipped in 12 points apiece and Nick Manalasan scored 11.

Fong Ben Onn had a game-high 21 for Urban Chic Boutique and
Lim Yih Yuan poured in 13 points in what was their second loss in as
many nights.

It was a one-sided affair from the outset as Shark clamped down on defence, running riot in the passing lanes, which they converted into steals and easy points on the break. Despite Shark emptying its bench early, they never reliquinshed the double-digit lead they built in the first quarter.

"We're trying to show that we are one of the strong teams. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the main match and it's going to be 50/50 on whether we can win the game," said Requintin in an interview with The Brunei Times after the victory.

Requintinsingled out Plaza Sutra Biru, who they face at 8.30pm today.

"It is going to be against a team of Barracudas players. Nevertheless,
we're happy with our performance since it's our first game and everyone
worked together as a team," added the Shark captain.

When asked on what he feels the main threats from Plaza Sutra Biru would be, Requintin replied: "They have big men that can shoot outside and their a fast team. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Plaza Sutera Biru down Urban Chic Boutique

Plaza Sutera Biru's Yam Wan Fung (L) going for a rebound as Urban Chic Boutique's On Chee Chew (C) and Lim Yih Yuan watch helplessly during their BBA Open Challenge Trophy match at the BBA basketball court in Batu Bersurat last night. Picture: BT/Saifulizam

Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

PLAZA Sutera Biru's dominance inside the paint paved the way for a 65-40 win against Urban Chic Boutique in last night's Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) Open Challenge Trophy action.

Bouncing back from their 80-63 loss to NBT on the opening day last Saturday, Plaza Sutera Biru's size and experience down the stretch handed Urban Chic Boutique a loss in their first Group A game.

Though Plaza Sutera Biru had three Barracudas' players in their line-up — Esmond Tan, Ho Hee Lee and Lim Aik Hock — it was Leslie Chia who stole the show with 15 points — the game's top scorer drilling in nine of them from downtown.

Plaza Sutera Biru had three other players in double figures at the BBA court in Batu Bersurat, Jong Guo Zheng adding 12 while Ho and Yam Wan Fung each contributed 10.

Urban Chic Boutique's captain On Chee Chew led by example with 11 points, with Fong Ben Onn the team's second best scorer with nine points.

Refusing to pick out any one player for individual praise, Tan insisted the win was a result of the whole team clicking on both sides of the court.

"We were just trying to work out our strategy and focus on our plays," explained the small-forward.

"We were also trying out the rotation of our players because a few of us won't be available on April 11 when we play our last game (against Teik Goldsmith).

"Our next game (against Shark Team) on Wednesday will be a must win for us if we want to reach the next round," added the vice-captain of the Barracudas last season.

It was a close game in the opening minutes and both teams found it hard to break through, with the towering Yam helping Plaza Sutera Biru to a 2-0 lead after three minutes.

Urban Chic Boutique netted the next three points but they could do nothing when Tan coordinated a 12-0 run in the next few minutes to help Plaza Sutera Biru carve a 14-3 lead in the final two minutes.

Plaza Sutera Biru started the second quarter with a 17-8 advantage but it was a lead which they weren't able to build on.

Urban Chic Boutique might not have been able to penetrate as much as they would have liked but their quick passing gave their opponents a hard time, with Plaza Sutera Biru only leading 21-13 mid-way through the quarter. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Babes Boutique outclass Ilonggo Stingers

Don Mordeno of Babes Boutique going for a layup. Picture: BT/Maui Salazar

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, March 29, 2010

BABES BOUTIQUE opened up their title campaign on a high note last night by thumping Ilonggo Stingers 80-63 in Group B of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat.

Mark del Mundo topscored with 21 points for Babes Boutique, who took a commanding 46-33 lead at the half and never looked back.

Also turning in double figures were Roldan Binas with 20 while Josend Mangoroban and Don Mordeno contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively.

"I was trying to find the open man and it worked out as we played as a team. We got the momentum and it was good that we managed to maintain it throughout the match," said Mordeno after the match.

Del Mundo dominated the boards despite the strong challenge from the opponents.

"I'm just happy that we won as a team and to prove that we're still as strong as we used to be and hopefully we can make it to the final again," added the 27-year-old.

"We just stuck to the game plan and played our fastbreaks. Everyone really stepped it up with the good defence as well," said Albert Cenabre, the coach of Babe Boutique, who is caretaker while former coach Kaka Espartero is away on vacation.

"The only problem is that we're lacking a sixth man but the gelling of the team is there and they showed that they can play as a unit that helped us win the game," Cenabre added.

Rio Oblido was the only player for the Stingers to hit double figures with 14 points. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Babes Boutique outclass Ilonggo Stingers

Don Mordeno of Babes Boutique
going for a layup. Picture: BT/Maui Salazar

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, March 29, 2010

BABES BOUTIQUE opened up their title campaign on a high note last night
by thumping Ilonggo Stingers 80-63 in Group B of the BBA Open Challenge
Trophy at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu
Bersurat.

Mark del Mundo topscored with 21 points for Babes
Boutique, who took a commanding 46-33 lead at the half and never looked
back.

Also turning in double figures were Roldan Binas with 20
while Josend Mangoroban and Don Mordeno contributed 14 and 12 points,
respectively.

"I was trying to find the open man and it worked
out as we played as a team. We got the momentum and it was good that we
managed to maintain it throughout the match," said Mordeno after the
match.

Del Mundo dominated the boards despite the strong
challenge from the opponents.

"I'm just happy that we won as a
team and to prove that we're still as strong as we used to be and
hopefully we can make it to the final again," added the 27-year-old.

"We
just stuck to the game plan and played our fastbreaks. Everyone really
stepped it up with the good defence as well," said Albert Cenabre, the
coach of Babe Boutique, who is caretaker while former coach Kaka
Espartero is away on vacation.

"The only problem is that we're
lacking a sixth man but the gelling of the team is there and they showed
that they can play as a unit that helped us win the game," Cenabre
added.

Rio Oblido was the only player for the Stingers to hit
double figures with 14 points. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Pinoy Resources out of title race at StreetballBrunei

Armando Estoesta (2nd L) of KTC tries to score against Josend Mangoroban of Pinoy Resources during

yesterday's match at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat. Picture: BT/Yee Chun Leong

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, March 29, 2010

PINOY RESOURCES gave their best but still fell short of keeping their
title hopes alive in the StreetballBrunei 2010. Needing to win
by five points over Kiarong Tuesday Club (KTC) to stay in the title
race, Pinoy Resources tried but failed as the final score read 70-68 at
the final buzzer yesterday at the Brunei Basketball Association court in
Batu Bersurat.

Pinoy Resources lost to Hope 66-62 last Thursday,
thus, requiring them to win by a five-point margin over KTC.

"Our
overall performance for the tournament was good and we're still
satisfied with the results as we never expected to make it this far,"
said Danny Felicilda, who led Pinoy Resources with a game-high of 26
points.

"We'll just move on from here and try to get better
results in future competitions," added the MVP of the 3rd Manjaro Cup in
October last year.

It was a dramatic finish to a game which saw
both teams in a see-saw battle throughout the four quarters.

With
KTC protecting a 62-61 lead going into the final two minutes, Pinoy
Resources held a 7-0 run to wrest the upperhand at 68-62.

KTC
went to sharp-shooter Bernie Toledo, who would score his team's last six
points. With eight seconds left to play, Toledo faked a three-point
shot and got fouled by Rommel Valmores for three shots at the charity
stripe. He split his first two attempts and purposely missed his third
but got the offensive rebound setting up his own shot for a baseline
trey that sealed the Pinoy Resources fate. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Pinoy Resources out of title race at StreetballBrunei

Armando Estoesta (2nd L) of
KTC tries to score against Josend Mangoroban of Pinoy Resources during
yesterday's match at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu
Bersurat. Picture: BT/Yee Chun Leong

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, March 29, 2010

PINOY RESOURCES gave their best but still fell short of keeping their
title hopes alive in the StreetballBrunei 2010.

Needing to win
by five points over Kiarong Tuesday Club (KTC) to stay in the title
race, Pinoy Resources tried but failed as the final score read 70-68 at
the final buzzer yesterday at the Brunei Basketball Association court in
Batu Bersurat.

Pinoy Resources lost to Hope 66-62 last Thursday,
thus, requiring them to win by a five-point margin over KTC.

"Our
overall performance for the tournament was good and we're still
satisfied with the results as we never expected to make it this far,"
said Danny Felicilda, who led Pinoy Resources with a game-high of 26
points.

"We'll just move on from here and try to get better
results in future competitions," added the MVP of the 3rd Manjaro Cup in
October last year.

It was a dramatic finish to a game which saw
both teams in a see-saw battle throughout the four quarters.

With
KTC protecting a 62-61 lead going into the final two minutes, Pinoy
Resources held a 7-0 run to wrest the upperhand at 68-62.

KTC
went to sharp-shooter Bernie Toledo, who would score his team's last six
points. With eight seconds left to play, Toledo faked a three-point
shot and got fouled by Rommel Valmores for three shots at the charity
stripe. He split his first two attempts and purposely missed his third
but got the offensive rebound setting up his own shot for a baseline
trey that sealed the Pinoy Resources fate. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

UBD cagers confident of title defence

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, March 28, 2010

THE Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) cagers are confident of retaining their title in the UBD Cup which kicks off tomorrow at the UBD Sports Complex in Tungku Link.

The tournament namesakes have much reason to feel positive after capturing the title two years in a row.

Although they have little time to prepare for this year's campaign, they have a better rostercompared to last year.

"We only had training for the past two weeks and we know it's going to be difficult. But I believe we have a good chance of retaining the title," said Yap Chun Ping, the captain of the UBD team, in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

"We've one of the best squads this year. We've got more big men on the team adding height for some post up plays and still be able to go on fastbreaks. They will be the ones to help cover ground on defence too," added Yap.

"We're confident and we want to make it three in a row," continued the 24-year-old, who is a member of the national team.

When asked on who the main threats are to their title ambitions, Yap replied: " PTE Katok (Katok Sixth Form Centre) 'A' because they are a complete squad and also ITB (Institut Teknologi Brunei) as this is the team that can really hurt their opponents with their fastbreaks."

A total of 16 teams to be divided into four groups are competing in the tournament. Besides UBD, Group A include Maktab Duli (MD) 'A', Sayyidina Ali Secondary School (SMSA) 'B' and Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College (SOAS). Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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Basketball: Kim Lock beat LOS-SSL for Under-18 crown

Kim Lock Hardware players
show off their trophies after being crowned the champions of the 2nd
Under-18 Brunei Youth Basketball Championship at the Kampung Baru Basketball court in Seria on Sunday. Picture: Courtesy of BYBC

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Tuesday, April 13, 2010

KIM LOCK Hardware were crowned champions of the 2nd Under-18 Brunei Basketball Youth Championship (BYBC) on Sunday night after beating LOS-SSL 67-60 at the Kampung Baru Basketball court in Seria.

DelightzCafe bagged the bronze after defeating Meteorsterne 74-50 in the
third-place playoff also on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Under-21 competition is set to begin today with a total of 10 teams separated into two groups battling it out for top honours in a tournament organised by Jason Lee and Sunny Voon in co-operation with the Belait District Basketball Association (BDBA).

Group A are made up of Chicken King, Pyromian, Binaan Janah Jaya, Starz Boutique and Awesome while Group B feature Crasher, Yun Hin, Choo Seng, American International Industries (AII) and Easyway, who are the defending champions.

The curtain-raiser will see Chicken King play Starz Boutique at 7pm.

The second match will pit Awesome against Binaan Janah Jaya at 8.15pm. The top four teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals. The final will be played on May 1.

The Under-16 competition was held last month and was won by Chen Bro's Engineering.

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Can Soon Lee-Easyway bounce back?

Reece hopes his boys can
secure a semi-final berth today. Picture: BT

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, April 10, 2010

THE national basketball team, playing under the Soon Lee-Easyway banner, are locked and loaded to gun down the visiting Ilonggo Stingers when they meet in a knockout game in Group B of the BBA Open Challenge Trophy at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat tonight.

Soon Lee-Easyway went down 99-84 to Babes Boutique on Tuesday night and national basketball coach, Kevin Reece, has rung the
changes going into today's match to ensure victory, which will take them
to the semi-finals.

"We cannot be over aggressive and we'll needbetter defence. We gave away too many fouls without moving our feet and only moving our hands the last time," said Reece, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"We've made the right adjustments but we know we're up against a difficult team. They have played together for years," added Reece.

"We failed out first test against a championship-calibre team, but we've been given another chance to take our team to the next level," continued the 49-year-old coach.

In addition, the national coach feels that they need to execute better down the stretch after a see-saw battle with the 2009 Brunei Pepsi Cup
champions.

"We need to do a better job on our half court set. (OnTuesday) the players missed a lot of signals from the point guards in turn they ended up just standing around on the court," said Reece.

However, the team's first loss under the American is just part of the learning curve that is going to help shape them further. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

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National team vow to return

(Above) Ben Sim (L) of Soon Lee-Easyway goes for a layup against Edward Mendez of Babes
Boutique during Tuesday's game. (Top) National coach Kevin Reece
reacts. Pictures: BT/Maui Salazar

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, April 8, 2010

NATIONAL basketball coach Kevin Reece is adamant that his charges will bounce back in their next BBA Open Challenge Trophy game. Playing under the Soon Lee-Easyway banner, the national team were handed their first loss infront of a largely Filipino crowd at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat, going down 99-84 to Babes Boutique on Tuesday. Tuesday night's performance was in stark contrast to their two previous games, in which they dished out an 86-point
thumping to Al-Ssarah Eagles and a 120-point demolition of Ford.

"They (have) never seen a coach like me that will stay on top of each and
every play, good or bad. I will talk to them to try to make them think
about the entire game," said Reece, in an interview with The Brunei
Times, yesterday.

"This team is on a mission and with that we will have some setbacks but as a whole, we are a bunch of no-names that nobody gives a chance and we showed we can play with the best team in Brunei at the moment," added Reece.

"We are eager and hungry to prove to ourselves that we can and will play harder to win," continued the 49-year-old.

The Los Angeles native felt that it was his team's troubles with boxing out that led to easy second chance points and their subsequent demise.

"They know luck was on their side and many commented on our defensive efforts but we didn't play well enough down the stretch to win," added the American.

However, the offence was also stagnant, particularly during set plays.

"The fastbreak was there all night and when we did go into our set offence, our ball movement wasn't as crisp but we made some adjustments at halftime and played a 1-4 offensive set and managed to score a few baskets," said Reece. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Castro leads Shark attack in win over Teik

Shark Team's power forward
Elvin Requintin (C) shoots as Ang Chee Yong (R) of Teik Goldsmith
watches on during their Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) Open Challenge Trophy match last night. Shark won the game at the BBA court in Batu Bersurat 90-81. Picture: BT/Yusri Adanan

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, April 4, 2010


ARIES Raymond Castro proved that a cool head often prevails over young legs in last night's Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) Open Challenge Trophy by racking up a game-high 33 points to lead Shark Team to a 90-81 win over Teik Goldsmith.

The 40-year-old forward was on fire in the second quarter, his two shots from downtown sparking an 8-1 run which built the platform that Shark rode to their second win of the tournament.

"I was just lucky today (Saturday)," said a humble Castro after the match at the BBA court in Batu Bersurat.

"Our defence helped us. We're a very defensive team," he added.

Teik enjoyed a 25-20 advantage heading into the second period, but Castro's first three-pointer of the quarter gave his team a 33-32 lead with three minutes left in the half.

A lay-up by Ariel Managbanag made it 35-32, and Castro added to that when he hit another trey.

Two consecutive jumpers from the right baseline a minute later made it
41-34, and Shark would go on to score two more points to end the half
43-34. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Too easy for Easyway

A Soon Lee-Easyway player
(second from left) is being blocked by an Al-Ssarah Eagles player (R)
during their BBA Open Challenge Trophy last night. Picture: BT/Yusri
Adanan

Jason Thomas

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, April 3, 2010

SOON LEE-EASYWAY and national basketball coach Kevin Reece think his team are disrespected in the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) Open Challenge Trophy. Their response was to hand out a 132-46 pounding to Al-Ssarah Eagles in their first match.

"I think everybody wanted to prove the naysayers wrong," said Reece.

"Aspirations for us are low and nobody believes us. That was our motivation, that was our mission.

"Who are the naysayers? The haters? They know who they are," added the American.

If this is parity in the league, then the other teams are in for a rough time of it if last night's 86 points drubbing was any indication.

After taking a 41-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, it was difficult to see why Reece feels his team have their detractors.

Double and triple teaming the ballhandlers, the contest was decided almost before it began.

Reecemade sure his players hustled for every ball and used his deep bench to ensure there were always fresh legs on the court.

Their control of the boards was another factor, and their ability to drive to the hoop meant most of their baskets came from inside the paint.

Starting the third quarter down 62-22, Al-Ssarah Eagles never looked like
mounting a comeback with their poor shooting and tired legs sealing
their fate.

Decimating their opponents on the fast break, Soon Lee-Easyway took a 93-33 lead heading into the final period, with Lim hitting the century mark two and a half minutes into the period.

Reece attributed the win to defence.

"Start with defence and end with defence, that's the way we are going to win games," he said.

"No disrespect to other teams if we are still playing hard in the last two
minutes, we will continue to play hard until the end. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...