Barracudas prevail over KL Dragons

A STRONG first quarter performance by the Barracudas paved the way for a 94-76 victory over the KL Dragons in their ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) match at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur last night.

The team flying the flag for Brunei brushed aside memories of their 87-69 loss to the Singapore Slingers at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in their opener on Sunday by taking a convincing 28-9 lead at the end of the first period — never looking back after that.

Limiting the Malaysians to single digits in the first period, it looked like captain Francis 'Kiko' Adriano's advice seemed to have worked and they now lead the league with three points after a win and a loss.

After the game against the Slingers the shooting guard said the team needed to communicate better, play more aggressive and execute more on plays — and the side did just that last night.

After trading baskets in the opening exchanges, the Barracudas swam to a 15-0 run on the back of some tenacious defence and successful plays on the other end of the court to set the score at 19-4.

Dominating the boards through centre Lonnie Jones and forward Mike Pilgrim — the latter named MVP — there was nothing the misfiring Malaysians could do to get back on track.

"We played smarter and more controlled (than against the Slingers) and that is the way we should play," said Barracudas' coach Bong Ramos in a telephone interview after the match.

"When we got the momentum going we worked on it. Basketball is a game of momentum and we were at the right place at the right time.

"We gained control at the start and the players followed instructions," explained the 48-year-old Filipino coach, adding that he knew the game was won at the start of the fourth quarter.

Cutting well to the basket, the Barracudas continued to click together on the offence after their good run to close the first period.

Winner of the 1998 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Slam Dunk contest, Celedon Camaso showed the Dragons just why he participated in the three-point shootout during the 2003 PBA All-Star Weekend with his hot shooting in the second quarter.

Enjoying a comfortable 20-point lead for the rest of the period, the Barracudas would enter the locker-room at half-time leading 51-27.

Sticking their foot on the gas, the Barracudas were running away with the game and there was nothing the Dragons could do to reply in the third quarter.

Widening the gap to a massive 30 points at the start of the final stanza, which started 74-42 to the good, the Bruneians continued to rely on Camaso and Pilgrim for the points.

Jones and Pilgrim's height advantage meant that the Dragons would find it hard to penetrate, and the Malaysians were losing out on the rebounds department as well.

Playing some relentless full-court pressure in the dying minutes — which Ramos dubbed as "kamikaze" — led to the Dragons going on a good spell of points and close the gap to 86-66 with four minutes on the clock.

Though they were spurred on by the crowd, the Dragons could not breathe more life into the game by cutting the deficit to 10 points.

Barracudas' improved fitness was also another reason they won the match, and it was an aspect of their game Pilgrim touched on during a post-match interview.

"I think we were more in shape today, but it wasn't my best game," said the MVP.

"The result proves we can beat teams in the ABL. The coach wanted me to be a leader and I thought that's what I did.

"I expect the same kind of performance from us in our next game," said Pilgrim, adding he thought the team has gelled better.

The Barracudas face the Dragons at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas on Sunday, the Bruneians' first home game of the campaign.

The Barracudas are made up of Jones and Pilgrim as well as the Filipino threesome of Adriano, guard Leo Avenido and Camaso — forming the team's starting five.

The imports are joined by local players Tan, Lim, Xavier Fong, Benjamin Sim and Presley Ho.

The rest of the Barracudas roster include Lim Aik Hock, Soon Kian Leong, siblings Hj Md Badri and Hj Md Rahmat Hj Suhaili, Jamri Ramlee and Muhd Mohzani Abd Ghani.

Satria Muda BritAma are representing Indonesia while the Philippine Patriots and Thailand Tigers are flying the flag for their respective countries.

The Brunei Times