Aspac, Bhinneka, IM Texmaco start well
Aspac, Bhinneka, IM Texmaco start well
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia Muda (IM) Texmaco started the sixth
series of the 1999 A Mild Kobatama national basketball league
with optimism and gained a 73-51 victory over Bima Sakti Nikko
Steel in the series' opening at the Senayan basketball stadium on
Saturday.
Earlier, final-four candidates Jakarta-based Aspac and
Bhinneka Sritex of Surakarta, Central Java, overcame bottom
finishers Pacific Bank Swadesi of Surabaya and Citra Satria
Pelita (CSP) respectively.
Aspac defeated Pacific 72-61 while Bhinneka had to sweat it
out to crush CSP 79-72.
Aspac and Bhinneka have secured the final tickets. Aspac tops
the team standings with 13 wins and one loss, while Bhinneka is
third after winning 11 games and losing three.
Bima Sakti seemed to lose their fighting spirit after being
downed 28-36 in the first half. IM's forward Raymond Manuhutu
scored 25 points to bring the first victory in the series to his
team.
IM coach Hakiem Rahman said his team would perform all-out to
win the overall five games in the series to secure the final
berth.
"My players are ready to play all-out to win all five games.
However, our chance for the final also depends on other teams'
forms including Mahaka Satria Muda and Bhinneka," he said.
Aspac junior player Andi Poejakusuma scored 13 points and made
10 rebounds. Bhinneka's forward I Made Sudiadnyana earned 20
points and nine rebounds.
Aspac team manager, Irawan Haryono, said he was optimistic
that his club could win this year's league title.
"I'm optimistic that Aspac will win Kobatama this year. I
think we will challenge defending champion Panasia Indosyntec in
the final," he said.
CSP expected to win three games in the last series to avoid
relegation from the main division. With only three wins and ten
losses in the last five series, CSP, competing in the western
division, is now in ninth position.
Coach Toto Sudarsono said his team was now running neck-to-
neck with eastern division's bottom finisher Pacific. Pacific
ranks seventh in the overall team standings after winning four
games and losing nine.
"We are still optimistic. Winning two games is enough for us
to stay in the main division but only if Pacific wins once out of
five games," Toto said.
He said he was certain that CSP could win in the playoffs and
perform in next year's league.
"We must evade relegation. Our patron has invested hundreds of
millions of rupiah to enable us to play in the Kobatama. It takes
Rp 300 million annually for the development of athletes and we
have to spend more than that in the coming ten years," he said.
He also admitted that his club needed improvement because
there were many newcomers in its lineup.
"We have only two weeks to prepare for Kobatama. We used to
have management conflicts," he said. CSP, formerly named Pelita
Bakrie club, merged with Citra Satria, a little-known basketball
club, just a few weeks before the first series began in
September.
CSP struggled to win in the second half after it had to
swallow a humiliating defeat of 19-36 in the first half. Its
point guard Nano Sukarma seemed to be disoriented in the first
half and failed to inspire his team in the attack. (ivy)