YTE, Babes Boutique enter Pepsi Cup semi-final round

YUAN TONG ENTERPRISE (YTE) overcame a sluggish start to prevail over Bukit Ladang 86-59 last night and secure a semi-final berth in the 2009 Brunei Pepsi Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Trailing 15-22 in the first quarter, YTE shifted gears and pounded their opponents with fastbreaks to gain control. They finally succeeded in taking the upperhand at 30-29 courtesy of team captain Esmond Tan's three-point play.

Bukit Ladang, whose players are veteran national players, lost their rhythm and found themselves missing easy shots. They tried to rally back but failed.

YTE, comprised of younger members of the national team, kept their focus and sustained the momentum. Their man to man defence worked as they gave Bukit Ladang trouble in bringing the ball up the court.

Benjamin Lim topscored for YTE with 19 points while Tan contributed 16 points.

Lim Boon Teck finished with 13 points for Bukit Ladang, who absorbed their second straight defeat.

Babes Boutique later joined YTE in the semi-final round after beating Kitchen of Jasmine 113-88.

Babes Boutique, who notched their second straight win, had six players in double figures with Don Dadis Mordeno scoring 25 points while Majomar Aying had 22 points.

Roldan Binas chipped in 17 points followed by Mak Del Mundo with 13 points, Rhoy Binas with 12 points and Hosend Mangoroban with 11 points.

For Kitchen of Jasmine, Hj Md Rahmat Hj Suhaili and Elwin Chong Ching Lung contributed 19 points each for a losing cause.

The game was close from the start as the two teams played with the same intensity.

But Kitchen of Jasmine waxed hot behind the shooting prowess of Hj Md Rahmat and Chong to post a 49-44 halftime lead. Hj Md Rahmat actually scored 13 points in the first quarter while Chong had 12 points in the second period.

But the tempo changed in the third quarter as Babes Boutique used a full court pressure defence to outscore their opponents 33-12 and enter the fourth period with a 77-61 advantage.

Babes Boutique never looked back from there as they took their third win in five games.

"We knew the weakness of our opponents so we had to apply pressure which worked for us," said Babes Boutique head coach, Kaka Espartero on his winning strategy.

When asked on his next game, "Our previous two games were bad as we're still adjusting but we are ready for YTE as we know we have to win on Thursday," added Espartero.

YTE rested their starters in the fourth period as they will be meeting Babes Boutique to fight for top honours in their group heading into the semi-finals.

Tan echoed his opponents views saying, "We must win no matter what. We have to handle their fastbreaks and rebounds which is key in order to control the game."

Unbeaten Linktech, who have qualified for the semi-final, take on Team Wayne 'B' in the first of two games scheduled today starting at 7pm.

The other game, which is set at 8.30pm, is between Chop Eng Seng Keo Pinoy Resources and White Heaven. The winner of this game will advance to the quarter-final.

The Brunei Times