Indonesia cagers pull off upset win over Filipinos
Indonesia cagers pull off upset win over Filipinos
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia defied all the odds to brilliantly
pull off a 88-81 upset victory over the highly regarded
Philippines 88-81 (36-47) in the Grand Final of the Second South
East Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) championships in
Surabaya Friday.
The victory in the action-packed match at Kertajaya sports
hall was a milestone in the history of national basketball: It
was the first time ever that Indonesia beat the Philippines, the
region's strongest basketball powerhouse.
When the final buzzer sounded 2,500 jubilant home spectators
swarmed onto the court to congratulate their heroes as the whole
Indonesian camp boisterously celebrated the epochal triumph.
"Before the match I stressed to my players that they have to
stop the tide and dethrone the Philippines as the region's
basketball kingpin in Southeast Asia. I told them they have to
make history by overcoming the jinx. And the players rose to the
challenge splendidly," an elated national coach Tjetjep
Firmansyah said.
He attributed Indonesia's upset but well-deserved victory to
the cagers' unflinching and never-say-die fighting spirit.
"Our players were slightly inferior to the Filipinos in terms of
playing skills and tactics, not to mention height and experience.
But the boys made up for it by displaying tremendous fighting
spirit throughout the match and it ultimately ruffled the
Filipinos," Tjetjep said.
He said the vociferous cheers from the partisan spectators
chanting "Indonesia...Indonesia.." and stamping their feet every
time a home player scored,"did wonders for our players' morale."
"We thanked our lovely crowd for their support and
encouragement."
Suko Daryono, from Jakarta's Aspac club, played a pivotal role
in Indonesia's triumph. The three-point specialist emerged as the
top scorer with 29 points to his credit
Captain Filixs Bendatu, Suko's club mate, contributed 27
points, followed by Fictor Roring, also from Aspac, with 10
points.
"I think the key to our victory was our great confidence and
never-say-die spirit. We were not cowed by the Filipinos' high-
flying reputation. Before the match we were all determined to
break the drought....thank God we made it," said the 1.96m tall
Suko.
Fightback
Trailing 37-46 at half time, Indonesia staged a tremendous
fightback in the brisk see-saw game that saw fortunes fluctuate.
Apparently disappointed at the leadership of referee Komut C
from Thailand, several Philippine players and officials
surrounded the referee at the end of the match, hurling abuse and
jostling and hustling him. Had it not been for the swift action
of security officials, the referee might have been manhandled by
the angry Filipinos who appeared ready to vent their anger and
frustration on him.
Philippine assistant coach Louis Alas expressed his deep
disappointment at a string of what he called "highly questionable
decisions" by referee Komut. He specifically cited four free
throws awarded by the referee to Indonesia in the final minutes.
"I feel the referee bore a personal grudge against us after we
beat Thailand in a previous match,"a fuming Alas told Antara. But
he readily admitted the match was so close his team lost much of
their usual touch and rhythm playing the Indonesians.
Indonesian manager Doddie Gambiro said the Thai referee had
done his job "quite well". "Perhaps he made several wrong
decisions, but it was also at our expense not only at that of the
Filipinos."
He strongly rejected the cynical allegations by some
Philippine players and officials that Indonesia's victory was
helped by the referee.
SEABA secretary Yeoh Choo Hock of Malaysia agreed with Doddie.
"I can not justify the Philippines' angry protests. No victory
in basketball was decided by the referee," he said, adding:"By
all means Indonesia deserved the victory."
In the playoff for third and fourth placing, Thailand edged
Malaysia, 81-80 after leading 49-43 at half-time. (bas)