Dwidasa Mitra fights hard to avoid possible relegation
Dwidasa Mitra fights hard to avoid possible relegation
BANDUNG (JP): Late strikes earned Dwidasa Mitra of Jakarta its
first win and the possibility of escaping relegation from the
national semiprofessional basketball league here on Thursday.
The 84-74 victory over Wismilak CLS of Surabaya in the
league's fourth leg gave Dwidasa the boost in morale it needs to
face decision day on Friday when it plays Bima Sakti Nikko Steel
of Malang, East Java.
Bima Sakti played Indonesia Muda (IM) Texmaco, which has
already secured a place in the semifinals next month, late on
Thursday.
In the game played at Padjadjaran Basketball Hall, Dwidasa was
left trailing behind until well into the second quarter, in which
it managed to level the game to 42-42 thanks to the hard work of
the veteran trio of Andries Posumah, Rommy Tanaka Patipeilohy and
Rivelino Abuthan.
CLS went into the final quarter with a 59-58 lead, but quickly
found itself on the defensive as forward Bintoro led Dwidasa's
relentless charges. Bintoro scored 11 points and had one rebound
in the fourth quarter to help his team seal the crucial win.
Altogether Bintoro scored 35 with six rebounds and two assists
to take the Most Valuable Player tag of the match.
Dwidasa's team manager Andre Mamuaya said after the match that
his team anticipated a hard-fought battle with Bima Sakti on
Friday. But a win on Friday could be meaningless if defending
champion Mahaka Satria Muda of Jakarta is upset by relegation by
struggling Pacific Caesar of Surabaya.
For Pacific, a defeat on Friday would eliminate its chance of
staying in the league next season.
"I think that as of Wednesday, Pacific was still sure that it
was safe while we remained at the bottom of the standings. They
didn't expect us to beat CLS today," Andre said.
"At least I can take a breather for a while now."
He blamed his club's poor performance on coach Ersa Putra, but
he had yet to decide whether to extend his contract for next
season. "We have a good physical trainer but our technical coach
is less experience."
In a late match on Wednesday, home favorite Panasia Indosyntec
continued its winning streak by crushing Bali Jeff Citra Satria
Pelita (CSP) of Jakarta 93-71.
Panasia, the only non-Jakarta team to have reached the
semifinals this year, is second in the table behind Aspac. Mahaka
is third followed by IM.
The final four and championship matches will take place in
Jakarta from Nov. 18 to Nov. 19. (ivy)