Aspac and Hadtex clinch Kobatama repeat final

JAKARTA (JP): Defending champion Hadtex of Bandung and Aspac of Jakarta displayed different styles on their way to their final rematch in the Kobatama national basketball league championship yesterday.

While Aspac had no troubles sweeping BS Nikko Steel of Malang, East Java 101-81, Hadtex had to flex its muscles before nailing Pelita Jaya with an upset 88-83 during a tense game.

Hadtex defied the odds to surprise Aspac in last year's grand final. The Bandung side also took on a favored team in yesterday's do-or-die battle.

"We took the advantage of being the underdogs. It proved to give us the second wind we needed to retain our title," Hadtex manager Suwandi Bing Andi said after the thrilling game. "Playing without any mental pressure is the key to our success."

Pelita, orchestrated by its new signings, Anthony Jones and Claude Moore, focused on closely marking Hadtex's play-maker Ray Kelly. The strategy paid off, but Pelita wasted too much energy on the injured Kelly.

Richard Lee Cannon led Hadtex's up-front charge in place of Kelly, pouring in a game-high 41 points until he was fouled out two minutes before the final whistle. Kelly added 27 to put the issue beyond the doubt.

Trailing 46-50 in the first half, Pelita players regained their momentum in the first five minutes after the break, pulling ahead to a 60-55 lead thanks to a series of brilliant attempts by their sharp shooters Ocky Tamtelahitu and Apriyadi.

The Jakartans, however, missed numerous scoring attempts, leaving the high-spirited Bandung players to fight back with their stylish fast breaks. Cannon, who was left unmarked, led the goal spree to move up 72-60.

Hadtex never let Pelita come close, continuing its relentless assault to soar to its highest margin of 82-73. With just one minute left, Apriyadi's three-pointer helped Pelita reduce the gap to 87-83. The forward, however, missed two decisive free throws in the dying seconds, allowing Saut Lombok Jhonson to seal Pelita's fate with a well-aimed final free throw.

"We were unlucky. Hadtex was not at its best, but we conceded too many mistakes," Pelita manager Toto Sudarsono said.

In the earlier game, Bobby Parks led Aspac's scoring with 34 points. Mohammad Rifky added 25. Aspac withdrew all its starters in the final five minutes after taking a commanding 101-74 lead. (amd)