POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Janno Cunanan
As expected, the Extra Joss Fighters and ABA Dragons swamped their respective rivals at the resumption of the 2020 season of the Cambodian Basketball League (CBL). The Dragons routed the AsianBallers, 84-37, while the Fighters romped off with a 93-49 win over Master Tapsi. Both teams are undefeated and led the League with three wins apiece. The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF), meanwhile, waylaid Beyond, 91-56, in their own matchup. All the games were held at the National Sports Training center on Sunday. With a towering, star-studded cast, the Dragons dominated early. This time the Dragons were led by a trio of champions from the East-West International School (EWIS), which won this year's International Schools Sports Association Tournament.
In the previous games, the Dragons were spearheaded by the trio of center Curran Hendry (C), point guard Anthony Raygoza and power forward Nebojsa Trajkovic. Jeff Kane, who is also the head coach for EWIS in the High School Basketball League, was particularly effective from long range. The shooting guard was ably backed by a couple of EWIS stars in Hong Plenglong and Tith Pheakdey. The Dragons immediately jumped into lead and the first quarter ended with them on top, 20-5. The Dragons were able to open the game with a 15-point lead by unselfishly moving the ball and taking advantage of their superior athleticism. The Dragons also lighted up the gym with their three-point shooting. The AsianBallers, meanwhile, were thoroughly dominated during the first canto, being limited to a measly five points in the first 12 minutes of the match. The massive height advantage of the Dragons drove the AsianBallers away from the paint and mostly limited them to perimeter shooting. The second period was also a disaster for the Asian Ballers, with the team only managing to score six points, while the Dragons put up 19 points of their own. The first half ended with the Dragons ahead by 28 points, 39-11. The AsianBallers did better in the third quarter, scoring 13 points, which eclipsed their entire production for the first half. But it was not enough as the Dragons increased their advantage to 37 points, 61-24, entering the final period. The Dragons outscored their opponents 23-14 in the final period as they completed a 47-point win over the AsianBallers. The margin was among the biggest recorded in the CBL this season. The Dragons won the game through balanced scoring. Kane drained four triples enroute to a team-high 12 points. Hong backed him up with 12 markers of his own, while dominating the offensive glass. Seth Hendrickson, Trajkovic and Raygoza chipped in nine points apiece. Tith only scored six points, but he was a monster on the boards with 10 rebounds, while also contributing four assists. Hong and Tith credited coaching and hard work for their continuing success. 'I always listen to everything Coach Kane tells me,' Hong said. 'Especially on the defensive side of the ball, I've learned that focus and toughness lead to points, and most importantly, wins.' 'I've been doing a lot of strength-training,' Tith said. 'I'm just trying to get in the best shape possible to win another championship. My efforts helped me get a lot of rebounds today.' 'I always listen to everything Coach Kane tells me,' Hong said. 'Especially on the defensive side of the ball, I've learned that focus and toughness lead to points, and most importantly, wins.' 'I've been doing a lot of strength-training,' Tith said. 'I'm just trying to get in the best shape possible to win another championship. My efforts helped me get a lot of rebounds today.' Sok Hong scored 10 points to lead the still-winless AsianBallers. He was the only player from their team to score in double digits. Like with the Dragons, the Fighters also lead from start to finish as they demolished Master Tapsi by 44 points. 'I think we had the advantage as Tapsi has rebuilt their team with some new players and their star (and former CBL MVP) Janno Cunanan (183-F-88) had a bad ankle sprain in the first quarter and had to leave the game,' Oktavianus Hauw, the Fighters coach, said. 'On the other hand, most of our players have been practicing and playing together for 2-3 years, so they understood our game system and have chemistry among each other,' he added. Master Tapsi is also winless after three outings. The CBL is supervised by the Cambodia Basketball Federation and sponsored by the real estate giant Yuetai.
Courtesy of: khmertimeskh.com
Tags : JANNO CUNANAN, DAVIES PAINTS, CAMBODIAN BASKETBALL
