Slingers snuff out Dragons for third straight ABL victory
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.”
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| total | 92 | 34/56 | 10/20 | 14/23 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 18 | 200 | |
| 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 |
KL Dragons Game Box Score
| # | Name | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | OR | DR | TR | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| total | 74 | 29/69 | 7/21 | 9/10 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 23 | 200 | |
| 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 |
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 sounded. (Photo 7 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
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 is averaging 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)
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YAAAAY GO SLINGERS!!! We are beaming with pride over here in the US….
Way to go everyone…Al you did your thing tonight, Kyle way to go, and MLB what can i say?? You do me VERY proud…along with Path, Desi, Michael Wong, Marcus, Wei, and the whole organization!!! WAY TO GO
The Slingers are champs!!! Period
@SLINGERROCK:Hahaha!How come you sed Slingers are champion?were not in the playoff yet..Winning in regular season doesnt mean winning a championship..
Slingers is the top defensive team in the league. We shut down Rudy and Brown and the rest of the KL imports. Slingers for the champs and YES:
MLB = MVP!!!!
Slingers good work…nice teamwork…but you are still not the champ yet…
TEAM WIN LOSS HOME AWAY PTS
PATRIOTS 9 4 7-0 2-4 22
SATRIA MUDA 8 5 5-2 3-3 21
SLINGERS 8 4 6-2 2-2 20
DRAGONS 5 8 3-3 2-5 18
BARRACUDAS 5 7 3-2 2-5 17
TIGERS 3 10 2-3 1-7 16
the figure shows….
slingers champ.. haha and then period.. you can really tell the maturity level..
Dragons please lose to the Slingers on Sunday.
It’s a good that the Slingers finished their home finale with a win, and possibly some momentum heading towards the playoffs.
Sooo PROUD OF ALL OUR SLINGERS!!!!!! MLB is hitting the basket & got a D/D!!!! YES!!! Jeffers, what can I say…. you da man Mr. D/D!!!!!
Now go win the rest of your games Slingers!!! YEAAAHHHHH
Slingers have returned to top form. Now they will be close to unstoppable.
@deana, hope you can get your son to sign with the slingers for another season. We fans really hope to see him next year too.
My thoughts… “Come playoff time, the team who can win on the road gets the advantage.”
So far it’s the Satria Muda Britama’s good road record will be a factor once the playoffs started since they’re playing well on the road. SMB can finish their road record on a winning note by beating the Barracudas on Saturday.
On the other hand, the Slingers have the chance prove to the league that they’re the best team on the road should they win their next three assignments (against the Dragons, Barracudas, and Tigers), which they also need to do to claim the top spot. Especially with the momentum they’re in, it’s very doable.
Of the top three playoff teams, the Patriots seem to have the worst road record (when compared with the Slingers and SMB); however, they’re the only unbeaten team at home. So if the Patriots clinched the top spot, they will certainly cap on that advantage.
I also expect that the Dragons and the Barracudas will play like it’s game 7 of a championship series from then on, while the Tigers will simply play the role of the spoiler.
@Iraangels:Yup agree with you..But i think Patriots will go all out with their last 2 games..
@Adrax. I concur. The Patriots need to win their last 2 games, and hope that Singapore Slingers would lose 1 of their last 3 to clinch the top spot.
This is certainly going to be an exciting race to the playoffs.
So if it’s the Slingers versus SMB in the finals, I guess the Pinoys would root for the former as the latter is the only team without a Pinoy.
Les, Jan!! I hear u are at the Dragons homeland!! how about some tweets while they are traveling? Arrived Safe… etc… some Slinger fans want to know!! TY!!!
@Slingerrocks!!! yo!! now u want MLB as MVP?? hmnnn…. he has had a couple real good games yet overall… No offense MLB/Dora.. lol
Jeffers MVP!!!!!
also Mr. Rocks… from what I understand there is no offer on the table so he is a free agent.. I would like to see that an offer is made before it is too late… I guess there must be some rule that the Slingers can’t make an offer during this season for next season??? time will tell…
Slingers, win the Dragons!!! Gooooo Slingers!!!!!
Maybe they should pattern the awards after that of the PBA’s:
There should be a separate award for Imports (Best Import) and local players (MVP).