Dragons, Master Tapsi barge into semis

The ABA Dragons and Master Tapsi barged into the semi-finals of the Cambodian Basketball League (CBL) after winning over their respective rivals over the weekend. The Dragons routed the AsianBallers in their quarter-finals matchup, 98-58, while Master Tapsi scored a 67-64 win over the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Dragons will face the Yuetai Mekongers in the semis. The teams split their two matchups in the regular season. The Dragons won, 77-69, during their first meeting in August. The Mekongers avenged that loss two months later via a 92-65 win. Master Tapsi, meanwhile, is paired with the Extra Joss Fighters. The Fighters and Mekongers advanced outright to the semis after topping the elimination round. The semis is a best-of-three affair. The game did not go well for the Dragons early on. The AsianBallers went into an 11-2 run to open the game, punctuating the push with three baskets from beyond the rainbow territory. Surprised by the aggressiveness of their opponents, the Dragons called a timeout. During the ensuing huddle, shooting guard Anthony Raygoza challenged his teammates to do better. The Dragons responded to the challenge by scoring the next 17 points to pull ahead, 19-11, midway through the first quarter. The period ended with the Dragons ahead, 28-17. The Dragons limited the AsianBallers to three field goals in the last nine minutes of the first quarter. Raygoza played a huge role in the comeback, pocketing the ball five times and registering five assists in the first 12 minutes of the game. The AsianBallers then mounted a searing rally of their own, but fell short as the Dragons outscored them, 18-15, in the second quarter. The first half ended with the Dragons ahead by double digits, 46-32. The Dragons continued to dominate a dispirited AsianBallers side in the second half. Big man Nebojsza Trajkovic, as usual, was brilliant on both ends of the floor. He scored on a barrage of outside shots, while helping his team prevent the AsianBallers from scoring inside. The Dragons outscored the AsianBallers, 21-10, in the third canto to put the game away. The Dragons were ahead by 25 points, 67-42, entering the payoff period. Despite having a seemingly insurmountable advantage, the Dragons continued to pound their hapless opponents in the final period. The Dragons scored 31 points to their opponents' 16 in the last 12 minutes of the game. The 40-point margin between the two sides is the biggest in the playoffs this year. Trajkovic scored 27 points to lead the Dragons. Raygoza had 17 markers, while bruiser Seth Hendrickson recorded 16 points. Hendrickson also grabbed a game-high 21 rebounds. 'Big men need to be the soul of our team,' Hendrickson said. 'We have to do the intangibles. As an electrofunk DJ, I know a thing or two about soul. Today, I felt like I had a lot of it.' Despite their big win and with the semi-finals approaching, Raygoza reminded his teammates to pay more attention to detail. 'I'm a very meticulous player. I believe we have to focus on every little detail,' he said.
Courtesy of: khmertimeskh.com