Bukit Ladang too good for Aewon

BUKIT LADANG turned out to be an insurmountable hill to climb for the boys of Aewon.

Esmond Tan scored a game high 25 points and put on a dominant show on the boards to help his team secure a one-sided 89-58 victory yesterday.

Jong How Kiat, meanwhile, scored 17 points and Mohd Andri added 16 to pace Aewon.

Bukit Ladang got off to a scorching start with Esmond scoring almost immediately via a fast break lay up upon tip off.

Aewon was slow to find their form as they struggled to cope with Bukit Ladang's offensive prowess and tight defense.

They would however respond by bringing on How Kiat, changing the team's dimension and improving the team's play on both ends of the floor.

Despite this, Bukit Ladang still ended the first quarter with an 8-point advantage (22-14).

The second quarter saw a more even contest, but successive turnovers by Aewon allowed their opponents to assert their authority over the game.

Bukit Ladang continued to control the game's flow as their bigger size and athleticism saw them pile on the offensive rebounds.

However, with four minutes left in the quarter, Mohd Andri responded with a fade-away jumper, a much needed boost for Aewon's morale at that moment, prompting Bukit Ladang's coach Tony Tan to call a timeout.

The timeout worked wonders as Bukit Ladang immediately went on a scoring run, stretching their lead to 47-26 by the end of the first half.

Aewon continued to find themselves struggling against their opponents' defence which resulted in wasted passes.

They also failed to get back on defence quickly enough, a fact Jong Guo Zhang exploited with a solo drive into the paint to score, scoring an easy lay-up against two defenders.

A number of substitutions were made to Aewon's line-up which helped pick up the pace of the game.

Fresh legs for Aewon caused problems for Bukit Ladang and two consecutive baskets by Goh De No helped to liven up the game.

Despite their efforts, Bukit Ladang were never threatened as they led 63-36 by quarter's end.

Esmond would come out swinging in the final stanza, sinking a three pointer to start the busiest quarter of the night.

Aewon would not go down without a fight.

How Kiat turned out to be Aewon's much needed spark as he continued to cause problems for Bukit Ladang on the break.

But Bukit Ladang would counter with a fast break of their own on almost every possession. The game was now played with the intensity of a much more competitive game.

Aewon would continue their slew of offensive moves with their top scorers, How Kiat and Mohd Andri, leading the fray.

Their attempts to fight back were, however, short lived as the clock ran down with Bukit Ladang taking the win.

Asked about Bukit Ladang's play last night, Tony said: "It was nothing special; they didn't play as well as they could. The team is incomplete, We're still waiting on our import, Lim Aik Hock, from Vancouver."

"We're facing Jedstar on Saturday. We still need to work on our defense, that's all." He added.

In the earlier match, Lun Fishing defeated Cyberise 71-63.The Brunei Times