VBA Round 9 (Regular Season): Heat defeats Catfish in the closest game of the week

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 9 in the VBA took place in Saigon. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of second-best Catfish (7-3) to third ranked Heat (8-5) 70-68 in the game for the second place. It ended at the same time the six-game winning streak of Catfish. It was a key game for the second position in the league. Americans were the main players on the court. Forward Alfred Hollins (198-1999, college: UTEP) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds for the winners and Davon Dillard (196-1996, college: Shaw) chipped in 17 points and 14 rebounds. Heat's coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. The best for the losing side was forward Malek Green (201-1999, college: YSU) with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 15 rebounds. Defending champion moved-up to second place. Catfish at the other side dropped to the third position with three games lost. Heat will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Catfish will play on the road against the league's leader Buffaloes in Hanoi and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game in was also worth to mention about. Fifth ranked Dragons (6-5) played at the court of 6th ranked Islanders (2-10). Dragons defeated Islanders 96-82. American forward Karachi Edo (196-1994, college: Fresno St.) nailed a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 19 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side and Timothy Simmons accounted for 18 points and 14 assists. Dragons' coach used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Filipino Algin Andaya (-1997) came up with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists for Islanders in the defeat. Dragons moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Dolphins. Islanders lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the sixth position with ten games lost. Dragons will play against league's leader Buffaloes in Hanoi in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Islanders will have a break next round.
The game in was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Dragons (6-5) played at the court of 6th ranked Islanders (2-10). Dragons defeated Islanders 92-78 on Sunday. The best player for the winners was Karachi Edo who had a double-double by scoring 28 points, 21 rebounds and 6 assists. Dragons' coach let to play all 12 players and allowed the starting five to rest. At the other side the best for losing team was Jermale Jones who recorded 20 points and 5 rebounds. Dragons moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Dolphins. Islanders lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the sixth position with ten games lost. Dragons will meet league's leader Buffaloes in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Islanders will have a break next round.

In the last game of round 9 bottom-ranked City Wings lost to Heat on the opponent's court 72-80.



Heat - Catfish 70-68

The most exciting game of round 9 in the VBA took place in Saigon. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of second-best Catfish (7-3) to third ranked Heat (8-5) 70-68 in the game for the second place. It ended at the same time the six-game winning streak of Catfish. It was a key game for the second position in the league. Americans were the main players on the court. Forward Alfred Hollins (198-1999, college: UTEP) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds for the winners and Davon Dillard (196-1996, college: Shaw) chipped in 17 points and 14 rebounds. Hollins is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Heat's coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. The best for the losing side was forward Malek Green (201-1999, college: YSU) with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 15 rebounds and guard Dajuan Madden (188-1996, college: PVAMU) scored 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Four Catfish players scored in double figures. Defending champion moved-up to second place. Catfish at the other side dropped to the third position with three games lost. Heat will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Catfish will play on the road against the league's leader Buffaloes in Hanoi and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Catfish: M.Green 26+15reb+3ast, D.Madden 12+8reb+4ast, M.Soy 12+2reb+1ast, A.Opena 11+3reb+1ast, T.Duong Duc 5+5reb+2ast, K.Le 2+1reb
Heat: A.Hollins 21+10reb+3ast, V.Nguyen Huynh Phu 19+11reb+2ast, D.Dillard 17+14reb+3ast, K.Nguyen Anh 7+1reb, T.Chinges 4+1reb+2ast, T.Waale 2+4reb+1ast

Islanders - Dragons 82-96

The game in was also worth to mention about. Fifth ranked Dragons (6-5) played at the court of 6th ranked Islanders (2-10). Dragons defeated Islanders 96-82. Dragons forced 21 Islanders turnovers. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 33 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Islanders' players. American forward Karachi Edo (196-1994, college: Fresno St.) nailed a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 19 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side and his fellow American import Timothy Simmons (195-1992, college: DBU) accounted for 18 points and 14 assists. Edo is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top summer league for players who want to play basketball overseas. Dragons' coach used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Filipino Algin Andaya (-1997) came up with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Filipino Nichole Ubalde (-2001) added 18 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Islanders in the defeat. Dragons moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Dolphins. Islanders lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the sixth position with ten games lost. Dragons will play against league's leader Buffaloes in Hanoi in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Islanders will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Islanders: C.Camit 20+3reb+1ast, A.Andaya 19+10reb+6ast, N.Ubalde 18+6reb+1ast, J.Jones 8+8reb+2ast, J.Gracia 6+2reb, A.Demigaya 4+6reb
Dragons: K.Edo 33+19reb+4ast, T.Simmons 18+4reb+14ast, T.Hoang 13+3reb+5ast, D.Lam Minh 7+3reb, T.Huynh Thanh 6+3reb+3ast, C.Ganbat 6+1reb+1ast

Heat - City Wings 80-72

Very expected game in Saigon where 7th ranked Wings (1-11) were defeated by third ranked Heat (8-5) 80-72 on Saturday. Heat looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. The best player for the winners was American Davon Dillard (196-1996, college: Shaw) who scored 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The former international power forward Vinh Nguyen Huynh Phu (203-1998) chipped in a double-double by scoring 12 points and 13 rebounds. Worth to mention Dillard played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped get the job in pro basketball. Four Heat players scored in double figures. Heat's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Dakota Zinser (191-1995, college: PBA) who recorded 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and Ukrainian forward Yevgen Sakhniuk (201-1995, college: Jefferson) added 20 points and 12 rebounds respectively. Defending champion moved-up to second place. Loser Wings stay at the bottom position with 11 games lost. Heat will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. City Wings will play against Dolphins (#4) in Nha Trang and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
City Wings: D.Zinser 21+7reb+6ast, K.Dang Tran Dang 20+9reb+2ast, Y.Sakhniuk 20+12reb+2ast, K.Dau Trung 6+5reb, S.Tsagaanbaatar 4+4reb+2ast, N.Huynh 1+2reb
Heat: D.Dillard 20+7reb+5ast, A.Hollins 16+6reb+2ast, V.Nguyen Huynh Phu 12+13reb+1ast, A.Du Minh 11+4reb+2ast, T.Chinges 7+2reb+6ast, K.Ban Vo 5+1reb+1ast

Islanders - Dragons 78-92

The game in was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Dragons (6-5) played at the court of 6th ranked Islanders (2-10). Dragons defeated Islanders 92-78 on Sunday. Dragons forced 19 Islanders turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. The best player for the winners was American forward Karachi Edo (196-1994, college: Fresno St.) who had a double-double by scoring 28 points, 21 rebounds and 6 assists. His fellow American import Timothy Simmons (195-1992, college: DBU) chipped in a double-double by scoring 16 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Edo attended previously one of camps at Eurobasket Summer League on his way to pro basketball. Dragons' coach let to play all 12 players and allowed the starting five to rest. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Jermale Jones (185-1986, college: Tuskegee) who recorded 20 points and 5 rebounds and Filipino point guard Claude Camit (-2002) added 18 points and 5 rebounds respectively. Four Islanders players scored in double figures. Dragons moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Dolphins. Islanders lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the sixth position with ten games lost. Dragons will meet league's leader Buffaloes in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Islanders will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Islanders: J.Jones 20+5reb+3ast, C.Camit 18+5reb+3ast, A.Andaya 14+11reb, N.Ubalde 11+8reb+3ast, G.Puerto 5+4reb+2ast, R.Matias 4+7reb+1ast
Dragons: K.Edo 28+21reb+6ast, T.Simmons 16+11reb+7ast, T.Hoang 12+5reb+4ast, C.Ganbat 9+2reb+2ast, D.Lam Minh 8+1reb, Q.Le 7+2reb+2ast