Beaver Engineering ready for ALC test

BEAVER ENGINEERING head into their crucial encounter against Aziz Latif and Company (ALC) in Group B of the regular seven stars category of the LBC Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat tonight in confident mood.

Beaver Engineering are coming off three consecutive victories to top their group but ALC are no pushovers as they are on a roll as well with two wins.

"Tomorrow (Saturday) is a very important game for us. If we win then we'll definitely have a good chance to make it to the semi-finals of the tournament," said Tony De Vera, the head coach of Beaver Engineering, when contacted yesterday.

"The morale is there and we are hoping to keep our winning streak intact by grabbing another victory," added the Filipino.

However, De Vera is worried as he will be without two of his key players for the crucial encounter.

"I'm quite worried that (Junard) Presado might not be available due to work commitments while Renato Galvez is out with an injury. I don't think he'll be able to play for the match."

Asked what he expected from his opponents, De Vera replied: "They (ALC) are a great team. They played well against Morley Movers in their previous game so we expect a tough match. But we will definitely give it our best. We know that it would be our defence that is most vital against them."

ALC go into the match beaming with confidence as well, but will not take their opponents for granted.

"We managed a few practice sessions to prepare for this game. I told my boys that our opponents are no pushovers and they are a strong team. We will need a lot of heart and focus is important for us. With that I'm confident that we can pull off a victory," said Lito Calina, the head coach of ALC.

Calina will be using the 'defence is the best offence' strategy to pick up their third victory in the tournament.

"I know that our opponents are going to come out strong. They are a team that can get a lot of points off fastbreaks and we will need to contain their main player (Vincent Superio). This is key to the game," said Calina.

Asked whether he had problems adjusting to the seven stars rule, Calina replied: "The rule actually makes the game tougher. But it provides a good chance for new players to showcase what they can do.

"However, I've managed to get a good rotation of the players from our practice sessions."The Brunei Times