Jakarta nets two golds in basketball

Jakarta nets two golds in basketball

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post/Palembang

The Jakarta men's and women's basketball teams both won golds
at the 16th National Games after defeating on Sunday East Java
and West Java, respectively.

The Jakarta men's team faced a tight, roller-coaster game with
East Java before cruising to a 60-44 win.

East Java, led by Andrie Ekayana, started off well in the
first quarter with an 11-8 lead, which Jakarta leveled off in the
second with 23-23. However, East Java regained its lead in the
third until its ace player Andrie was called out on a foul.

Without Andrie, East Java lost their momentum, while Jakarta
mounted its attack at the other end.

With Amin Prihantono drilling high with his three-point shots
and Wendha Wijaya shooting a barrage of two-pointers, Jakarta
caught up with East Java 42-42 at the end of the third quarter.

Amin continued to perform well, scoring 10 points in the
closing minutes, while Wendha netted seven more to help Jakarta
win the game.

Jakarta coach Fictor Roring said the strategy was to pressure
East Java's key players Andrie and Agustinus Indrajaya, which
forced fouls.

"We knew East Java's substitutes were not good, so when Andrie
was unable to play any more, I was sure we could win," he said.

Meanwhile, East Java coach Eddy Santoso said his players
looked flustered when Jakarta managed to tie at 42-42 with only
six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

"With my top player sitting out on a foul, and the others
seeming unable to pick up the game, we knew we were losing," Eddy
said.

Despite his obvious disappointment, Eddy said the East Java
players had fought hard and deserved to be lauded.

"I'm proud of them. They showed their best and delivered a
tough fight. The way they played did not disappoint me nor the
East Java people," he said.

The bronze went to West Java after it defeated Bali 59-49 in
the playoff.

In the women's match, Jakarta triumphed over West Java 67-56,
while East Java beat Yogyakarta 77-45 in the playoff for the
bronze.