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.