Aspac, Panasia claim wins in Kobatama sixth serie

JAKARTA (JP): League leaders Aspac and Panasia Indosyntec taught their rivals on Thursday a never-say-die spirit can be more important than strategy and skill.

Defending champion Panasia Indosyntec was taken to overtime by Indonesia Muda (IM) Texmaco before pulling out a gutsy and grueling 62-59 (35-23) victory, while Aspac rebounded in the second half of its game to defeat Bhinneka Sritex 48-46 (25-28) in the sixth series of the 1999 A Mild Kobatama national basketball league at the Senayan basketball arena.

In the last match of the day, Citra Satria Pelita defeated Bima Sakti Nikko Steel 59-53 (22-20).

Panasia emerged victorious in its hard-fought battle with Jakarta-based IM when power forward Antonius Joko Endratmo, ignoring the hostile crowd, hit two free throws with two seconds left in the five-minute overtime to seal his team's victory.

Joko went to the line after IM's Muhammad Rifky lost the ball with 12 seconds left. Then, perhaps frustrated by the constant pressure he faced, Rifky's teammate Charles Bronson committed a technical foul, giving Joko two free throws.

"It's difficult for us to beat the champion (Panasia) because they have a better fighting spirit," IM coach Hakiem Rahman said.

In other action, one of Aspac's younger players, Andi Poejakusuma, was able to elude the tight defense of the Bhinneka forwards to tip the ball home with 12 seconds remaining and give his team a tough 48-46 victory.

Bhinneka vainly attempted to score the tying basket but Hendro Andiono lost the ball out of bounds as the last few seconds ticked off the clock.

Jakarta-based Aspac still stands atop the league with 16 wins and one loss, while Bandung-based Panasia trails in second place with 14 wins and three losses.

After winning two and losing two in the current series, Surakarta-based Bhinneka is currently in third, but could fall back after its game on Saturday against Mahaka Satria Muda, which stands in fourth place.(ivy)

Standings: Aspac (17 Games, 16 Won, 1 Loss, 33 Points); Panasia Indosyntec (17 Games, 14 Won, 3 Loss, 31 Ponts); Bhinneka Sritex (17 Games, 12 Won, 5 Loss, 29 Points); Mahaka Satria Muda (16 Games, 12 Won, 4 Loss, 28 Points); Indonesia Muda Texmaco (17 Games, 9 Won, 8 Loss, 26 Points); Cahaya Lestari Surabaya (16 Games, 6 Won, 10 Loss, 22 Points); Bima Sakti Nikko Steel (17 Games, 5 Won, 12 Loss, 22 Points); Pacific Bank Swadesi (16 Games, 5 Won, 11 Loss, 21 Points); Citra Satria Pelita (17 Games, 4 Won, 13 Loss, 21 Points); Siliwangi (16 Games, 0 Won, 16 Loss, 16 Points)