Panasia Indosyntec stays on top at basketball meet

By Ivy Susanti

SURABAYA (JP): Defending league champion Panasia Indosyntec of the Eastern division beat Western division club Indonesia Muda (IM) Texmaco 60-49 in day-four action of the A Mild Kobatama National Basketball League's third season at the Pacific basketball arena here on Saturday.

IM came into the game with one victory and two losses, while Panasia was still unbeaten in its seven games. Panasia center Saut Lambok Jonson scored a team-high 14 points, while IM forward Raymond Manuhutu lead his team with 12.

Favorite Aspac of the Western division did not break a sweat in defeating Cahaya Lestari Surabaya (CLS) 65-41 in the second game. Aspac forward Rommy Tanaka contributed 25 points to his team's victory.

Inspired by their victory over Western division favorite IM on Friday night, Bima Sakti Nikko Steel of the Eastern division maintained its fighting spirit to top Citra Satria Pelita (CSP) 66-50.

Panasia displayed a solid defense which troubled IM throughout the game.

IM coach Lexi Rohi said he was satisfied with his players' effort despite the loss.

"Based on our evaluations, the team has improved, particularly in the last couple of games. I think the players were under a lot of pressure to win today. They failed to establish good team work and were impatient in their finishing. However, they did well tonight," he said.

The last game between Siliwangi and Pacific Bank Swadesi tipped off at 9 p.m.

CLS coach Wellyanto Pribadi blamed his team's loss on his players poor form.

"They played below their ability. I think they were nervous challenging a top club like Aspac, whose players are much taller than ours. We often lost the ball when it was contested," he said.

Bima Sakti coach Armin Johan said his players attuned their play to the western club's style of play, allowing them to develop their strategy on the court.

"Based on our scouting reports, we knew we could beat CSP because they had unexperienced newcomers. CSP players usually perform all-out in the first half but start to lose their energy in the second half. So I told my players to apply pressure in the first half and score a lot of points in the second half," he said.

CSP coach Toto Sudarsono admitted his players were not used to playing in pressure situations due to their lack of experience.

"Our players have good technical skills but they could not deal with the pressure. They controlled the ball a lot but they failed to score," he said.

Earlier on Saturday, players and officials pinned black ribbons on their uniforms as a show of respect for Kobatama secretary M. Ridwan, who died at Surabaya International Hospital at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday after suffering a stroke on Friday night. He was 36.

Colleagues said Ridwan suffered from high blood pressure. They said Ridwan, who was in charge of statistics, worked hard to make the league a success.

Ridwan was having dinner at the arena with friends from private television station SCTV on Friday night when he suddenly collapsed.

He was rushed to the hospital but never regained consciousness. Ridwan is survived by his wife Ira Miranda and a son. His body will be flown to Jakarta and will be buried either in the capital or in his hometown of Bandung.