Easyway through after Propel Services win

Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Worn-out but definitely not washed-out, a depleted Soon Lee-Easyway
beat Propel Services 88-63 to advance to the next round of the Sultan's
Cup 2010 last night.

Fatigued and probably still smarting from their dismal outing at last week's 12th Borneo City Men's Basketball Invitational Tournament 2010, the win helped the national cagers eased the pain of finishing third in the four-team competition.

Though Benjamin Sim and Lim Liang Wei did not play and Yap Chun Ping only saw five minutes of action, the team still managed to turn on the afterburners in the fourth quarter and take a 20-point lead which they
maintained until the final buzzer at the Brunei Basketball Association
court in Batu Bersurat.

Despite the win, Kevin Reece couldn't get last week's poor performance out of his head.

"This is a different competition, at a different level, and right now we are
more confident at this level and that shouldn't be," said the Soon
Lee-Easyway coach, who is also guiding the national team.

"If the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games were to start right now we wouldn't be ready.

"But we haven't lost three in a row this year so I knew we would win. I had enough confidence in the team," added the national coach.

Soon Kian Leong led Soon Lee-Easyway in scoring with 22 points, with Tan Ye Wei and Po Yung Hui adding 15 and 10.

Looking as tired as any team would be after playing four games in as many nights, Soon Lee-Easyway started the match without the intense
full-court pressure which characterises their game.

Their strength inside the paint earned them an 18-13 lead after the first
quarter, and with Pg Md Faizuladzmi Pg Tajuddin controlling the boards
in the second period he had a dozen rebounds at the end of the game
they entered the second half up 34-28.

They could have been leading by more if not for a late boost by Propel Services, who could always count on Kenny Lim and Elwin Chong to deliver on the offensive end.

Yap's introduction into the game in the third quarter injected some life into the team, and they led 56-46 at the end of the period before opening up a 20-point lead through Tan (74-53) mid-way through the last stanza.

It was their second win over Propel Services after beating them 99-81 in last month's 2010 Goh Hock Kee Trophy.

Last night's other game saw Breadstop Teamz beat Young Guns 82-51. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times