Aspac vows to exact revenge on SM

Aspac vows to exact revenge on SM

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

HP Aspac warns that the upcoming A Mild Indonesian Basketball
League championship final will be payback time against defending
champion Satria Muda.

"Our players are very ready for the final, and if everything
goes well, we will defeat Satria Muda 2-0," HP Aspac manager
Irawan Haryono told a press conference on Wednesday.

"But we must be aware of the fighting spirit of Satria Muda
players as they will never give up throughout the game."

The final will consist of two home-and-away games.

Satria Muda, who defeated Aspac 2-0 last year, will host the
first game on Aug. 7 in Kelapa Gading Britama Sport Mall in North
Jakarta, while HP Aspac will host the second game on Aug. 12 in
Bung Karno Basketball Hall in Central Jakarta.

If the score is tied after the two games, a deciding game will
be held at Bung Karno Basketball Hall on Aug. 13.

HP Aspac has dominated the league this year, leading the
standings with an undefeated record. In the final four, it easily
defeated Bhinneka Sritex of Surakarta 2-0.

The team's winning strategy this year has been to mount an
all-out attack instead of waiting for their opponents to bring
the game to them.

Satria Muda got off to a poor start in the 2005 IBL
competition due to the absence of key player Wahyu Hidayat Jati,
but they have gradually improved their play.

Satria Muda, who beat Panasia Garuda 2-0 in the semifinals, is
hoping that teamwork and the desire to defend their title will
bring back-to-back victories.

"We have the heart to play and our players are diligent in
communicate with each other," Satria Muda coach Fictor Roring
said.