Barracudas almost there

Brunei team beat Satria Muda to put one foot into the playoffs

THE Barracudas last night put one foot into the playoffs with an 85-81 victory over Satria Muda BritAma in their Asean Basketball League (ABL) match at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex.

The win is their fourth straight at home with all five imports in double figures. American Mike Pilgrim led the way with 26 points for the hosts.

Filipino import, Leo Avenido, had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds while compatriots Don Camaso and Francis 'Kiko' Adriano chipped in 16 and 15 points respectively.

Another American Reggie Larry also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

On the other hand, Nakiea Miller had a game-high 32 points and hauled down 16 rebounds for a double-double to lead Satria Muda. Alexander Hartman contributed 19 points in a losing effort.

It was a closely contested affair right from the start with Satria Muda applying full court pressure defence causing the Barracudas to make turnovers.

The Indonesian side managed to open up a five-point lead in the period, but Avenido converted on a three-point play towards the end of the quarter to tie the scores at 20 apiece going into the second period.

Both teams were neck and neck throughout the second quarter, but the Barracudas eventually took the lead at 30-29 midway through the stanza. It was shortlived, however, as Satria Muda replied with seven unanswered points before ending the quarter with a 42-37 advantage at halftime.

The Barracudas turned the game around in the third period as they went on an 11-0 run, with Larry leading the way with eight points, to open up a 48-44 lead.

Miller, who had a good first half with 17 points, was double teamed each time he touched the ball but still managed to feed his open teammates, who failed to capitalise from long range.

Barracudas extended their lead to double digits with a minute left in the third quarter before Satria Muda's Rony Gunawan hit a shot from the top of the key bringing the scores to 63-55 heading into the final stanza.

The Barracudas were made to worry when Pilgrim picked up his fourth foul with less than seven minutes to go in the match.

The Bruneians took things slowly by using up the clock and eventually opened up the biggest lead of the game at 76-65 with three minutes left.

Miller was carrying his team on offence putting 13 points on the board, but it was not enough as the Barracudas held on to the victory.

"Doubling Miller was the key to the victory. The players adjusted to my instructions and executed what I needed them to do. We played smart and controlled the second half. That helped us win the match," said Bong Ramos, the head coach of the Barracudas, in an interview with The Brunei Times.

"I salute the players for the win and the crowd was a big factor they carried us to the victory," added Ramos.

The result pushes the Barracudas into fourth spot with a 6-7 win-loss record for 19 points while Satria Muda remain in second with an 8-6 record for 22 points.

The Barracudas will now await the result of the KL Dragons-Singapore Slingers match to be played at the Maba Stadium in Kuala Lumpur at 5pm today.

A loss will spell the demise of the Dragons from the playoff race thanks to a better head to head record for the Barracudas.

The Brunei Times