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Pegasus and Cocoro Advances to Semi Finals in last minute nail-biters.

Easy way thru for Swoosh and Phantoms

Pegasus and Cocoro had a testing Quarter Finals as they won with the slightest margins over their opponents.

Pegasus beat Flames 57-54 in the first Quarter Final match up last Sunday, but it could’ve gone the other way. Pegasus led by 12 points entering the 4th Quarter, but a scoring drought early in the quarter and a handful of missed layups brought the Flames as close as 1 point towards the end of the quarter. Pegasus’s defense, free throws, and Flames captain Fairil’s ejection won the game for the defending champions.

The game started with the Flames taking the lead with good ball rotation and defense. Pegasus had problems getting in the groove with Captain Jijun missing many easy shots. Turnovers were aplenty on Pegasus’s side, and the quarter closed out with the Flames in front by 8 points. Quarter number two, Pegasus were picking up, but still find it hard to stop Flames’s attack. Flames lead into halftime by 2 points.

Quarter number 3, the tables took a turn. Pegasus regained their composure, outscoring Flames 20-8 and closed the quarter with the lead. The trademark shut down defense and lightning quick fast breaks were in effect for Pegasus, and they looked to end the game with a big margin of victory.

Alas, it was not to be. Pegasus “played around too much”, missing a bunch of easy baskets and committing unnecessary fouls in the fourth quarter and allowed Flames to get back in the game. Flames trailed by 1 point with less than 2 minutes to go, and Pegasus bucked up on defense. Flames were forced to foul Pegasus’s players to stop the clock. While their free throw percentage were not so impressive (50%) in the fourth, Flames failed to capitalise on their next few possessions, either forcing shoots or turning the ball over. And the final score, Pegasus win 57-54.

Cocoro and Stallions took the stage next in their Quarter Final match, and they continued the close game left off by Pegasus and Flames. Both teams traded baskets back-to-back, and never lead more than 8 points. Cocoro’s Faiz was off the mark today, but provided the spark with good cut-and dishes to his teammates. Azahar was strong down low, and Ajiem got them going with baskets from everywhere.

Stallions were not far behind, Paie, Cat and Anip making a handful of threes. But Stallions made a fatal mistake in the final seconds when the score was tied 45. Cat committed a foul while in penalty, and it was 2 free throws for Cocoro. Make it they did, and Cocoro is in the Semis.

Swoosh had an easier game compared to Pegasus and Cocoro, beating UBSA 78-48. UBSA took the lead in the first quarter, Speedy Arip and Ipin providing the spark. While left open for the whole game, Yasier was off with his three pointers in the first half. UBSA lead into halftime.

Yasier and Guganeswaran rained threes in the third quarter, and the onslaught continued into the fourth quarter. Swoosh won the game, and Yasier was 11-24 from the 3 point line, setting a new record for the tournament.

Phantoms also had an easy game, beating Scorekeys 55-43. Phantoms lead as many as 20 points after first quarter. Phantoms let their guards down the next 2 quarters, and Scorekeys came back in to the game, posting a 10-0 run in the third quarter. Phantoms’s Imran resurrected the Phantoms with deft shooting and bagged the win for the Phantoms.

All games were played in Pusat Rekreasi JKKK in Balakong, Cheras on Sunday, 3 August 2008. The Semi Final will be played next Sunday, 10 August 2008, and will see Pegasus go against Phantoms, and Cocoro will take on Swoosh.

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Group B Runners up Phantoms will be taking on Scorekeys in the second Quarter Final tie for the Remix Non Chinese League (NCBL) 2008. The game will be played at 2.30 PM in Pusat Rekreasi JKKK Balakong in Cheras.

Phantoms have been in form this season, winning 5 games to start the season, and finishing the group stages with a 6-1 winning record. The only loss for Phantoms were against Group B leaders Swoosh.

Phantoms have re-acquired Zunnasri this season, adding a pure shooter in the lineup alongside Imran. The acquisition proved to be fruitful – opposing teams had a tough time covering two pure shooters. Evergreen PG Rushdi is still commanding the Phantoms offense, and age hasn’t slowed down the PG. Unfortunately Phantoms will have one man missing from the lineup for the rest of the season – Hafizuddin (Budin) as he is pursuing his studies in Canada.

Scorekeys are without the anchors Yasier and Helmi this season, both traded to Swoosh and Stallions respectively. However, team play and experience in PG Kamal, PF/C Wan and C Zaid proved to be priceless for the team. They take the number three seed for Group A with 5 wins and 2 losses. Going into this match, Scorekeys are the underdogs, but they will look to turn the tides on Phantoms.

Their last encounter in the NCBL was last year in the 2007 NCBL Semi Final, in which Phantoms came out winners. Here’s the breakdown of the two teams:

Phantoms

Strength: Experienced team, good chemistry, very stable offense, a force on defense.
Weakness: Aging lineup, prone to scoring droughts, lacks authority in fastbreaks
Summary: If you’re looking for a highlight reel, you’re looking at the wrong team. If you’re looking for flair and silky smooth ball rotation, you’re in for a treat. Phantoms plays traditional offense, and it works to perfection. Simple passes, good ball movement, and jump shots are Phantoms plus points. Coupled with a consistent defense, Phantoms is an elite team despite its aging veterans.

Scorekeys

Strength: Youth talent, good experienced starters, good stamina, an “OK” bench.
Weakness: No go-to-guy, seems lost sometimes on the offense, short on pure shooters, average defense.
Summary: Scorekeys is a great team. However, their heavy reliance on Yasier, Helmi, and Harvinder for the past 2 seasons is costing them this time around. Scorekeys lacks the Go-to-Guy in the team, and occasionally, they look lost offensively. A positive thing about Scorekeys play this season is their inside-out approach. They do have reliable big men, but they are over-used and there’s not that many pure shooters in the team to make the shots consistenly when the attention is on the big men.

My Prediction – Phantoms will continue their superiority over Scorekeys by winning this game. Margin should be around 15 points.

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The first of the Remix Non Chinese Basketball League (NCBL) 2008 Quarter Final tie will kickoff at 10.00 AM, 3 August 2008 in Pusat Rekreasi JKKK Balaking, Cheras. The matchup – NCBL 2007 Defending Champions Pegasus versus Flames.

While Pegasus are heavily favoured to win this matchup, they might be missing 5 players due to Petronas Team selections. Masri, Saifurizan (Panje), Norsultan (Lolo), Rozaini (Aboy), and Imran (Bo). This loss will leave Pegasus with only one big man in Thaufiq (John).

Flames on the other hand will have their full lineup available. They will be banking on their gargantuan superstar Alex Edwards to quash Pegasus’s hopes of achieving an NCBL three-peat. Below is the team breakdown:

Pegasus

Strength: Shut down Defense, Quick Fast break, good team chemistry, deep bench, low post scoring.
Weakness: Slow start, foul prone big men, may be missing 5 big men for the matchup.

Summary: Coach Sham will be looking to rely on shooting and will be going small if they miss their “Petronas Five”. PG Azizul (Jijun), SG Khairil (Kei) and Aznorizam (Baby), SF Amin and C Thaufiq will be playing the major role of scoring for them.

Should Pegasus have the services of the “Petronas 5″ this weekend, Pegasus should have a more balanced attack by going to their big men, scoring from the low post or feeding the wings or cutters for a shot.

Defense is Pegasus’ trademark, and it should be in full force this game.

Flames

Strength: Good team chemistry, an (almost) unstoppable center, good team hustle, average defense
Weakness: Lack of execution, no pure shooter

Summary: Flames is a veteran team, and their team chemistry is an A-plus. Under the leadership of Fairil (TV Show KL-ites remember?) and Aiman, Flames has been a mainstay in the Non Chinese Basketball tournaments. However, Flames has not won any titles, and they are looking to break the jinx this year.

The addition of Alex Edward in the lineup is inavaluable to the team, and Edward should be the focal point for Flames’ offense. At the same time, the 6’6″ Edward is a big presence in defense, and he should have a few blocks in this game.

My Prediction – It’s going to be biased. Pegasus should win this one. If they don’t have the “Petronas 5″, the scoreline should be less than 5 points. If all or some of “Petronas 5″ is in the game, the margin should be around 10 points.