Ten basketball clubs meet in final series

JAKARTA (JP): The decisive sixth series of the 1999 A Mild Kobatama national basketball league starting on Saturday will feature 10 clubs from both eastern and western divisions at the Senayan basketball hall.

Four powerful clubs -- Jakarta-based Aspac and Mahaka Satria Muda, Bandung-based Panasia Indosyntec and Surakarta-based Bhinneka Sritex -- have secured the final tickets, while the other six clubs will play to retain their position in the main division league.

The ninth and 10th finishers -- Citra Satria Pelita (CSP) of Jakarta and Siliwangi of Bandung -- are likely to challenge clubs from the second division in the playoffs for spots in the league.

The Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi) official in charge of Kobatama, Doedi Gambiro, said the second division's clubs -- which will compete in the main division -- will be decided at a later date.

"Two clubs -- Angsapura of Medan, North Sumatra, and Mitra Guntur of Jakarta -- have registered themselves for the playoffs. There are two others from Jakarta, one from Bandung and one from Yogyakarta. We'll try to get the list in a couple days," he said on Friday at the Ibis Hotel.

Doedi said the playoffs would be staged early next month, prior to the beginning of the fasting month. "We have yet to decide if the playoffs will be played before or after the final four," he said.

The playoffs will finish on Nov. 20. The final four matches are scheduled to take place at the Senayan indoor stadium on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5.

Saturday's match will feature Aspac vs Pacific Bank Swadesi, CSP vs Bhinneka, Indonesia Muda Texmaco vs Bima Sakti Nikko Steel and Mahaka SM vs Panasia. (ivy)