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.