Dragons Blow Fire On Tigers
By James Kon

Bandar Seri Begawan - Defending champions Suncity Dragons show they are still the team to beat when they overran SYH Tigers 108-91 last night, in the 3rd Shell Rimula Ultra Invitational Trophy 2003 Basketball Tournament at the National Indoor Stadium in Berakas.

Both teams came to the match with successive wins and are favoured to take the winners' trophy. Last night's match-up could just be the tournament final preview, which probably accounted for the large crowd present to watch the game.

Both teams started the match battling each other points for points, but as time went on, the Dragons looked to have asserted their supremacy over the Tigers with their offensive rebounds and fast breaks. By the end of the first quarter, the Dragons were leading by eight points.

The second quarter, though, was a different story altogether. Todd Bernard and Peter Naron lead the charge for a furious SYH fight back, that at the halfway point of the quarter, the Tigers were in front 36-33.

But Suncity were not named the Dragons for nothing. After a pep talk by coach Elmer Reyes, the Dragons came out breathing fire; Norman Gonzales sank a three pointer in the dying minutes of second quarter to enable the Dragons to snatch ahead by two points.

Sloppy defence by the Tigers and exceptional three-point shooting by Jomar Tierra and Luke Egan further extended the Dragons' lead to 77-62 by the end of third quarter.

And by the fourth quarter, SYH had already lost all hopes of winning the game and Suncity romped home without encountering much resistance.

Willy Rodrigues, the Tigers coach, lamented his team's lack of defensive play, which allowed the Suncity players a lot of leeway during their fast breaks. He also felt luck was not on their side as seemingly easy baskets didn't sink in.

Rodrigues promised should his team meet the Dragons again, "it will be a different match altogether."

Suncity coach Elmer Reyes was pleased by the way his team performed and said they had improved "tremendously" in offensive as well as defensive plays. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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