East Java Tourism News

E. Java rolls on to basketball semis

July 7th, 2008

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Samarinda

East Java clinched its fourth win in the men’s basketball competition at the National Games (PON) to go top of Group A, while West Java had mixed results at the Sempaja basketball arena in Samarinda on Saturday.

East Java, finalists in 2004, defeated Papua 79-67, giving them eight points from four matches and securing a place in the semifinals. West Java, East Kalimantan and Aceh will battle for second place, while Papua, which suffered its third loss, was eliminated.

Earlier, hosts East Kalimantan bounced back from two straight losses to stun West Java 89-69. Both teams are level at four points. Aceh is a point ahead and will take on West Java in the final group match on Sunday.

In Group B, defending champions Jakarta look set to advance after three wins. Central Java and Banten are also still in the running, with West Sumatra and North Sumatra already eliminated.

In the women’s basketball competition, West Java, who lost to Jakarta in the 2004 final, beat North Sumatra 67-55 in Group X to give them an overall five points.

Papua has notched up two victories, while East Java recorded a win and loss.

East Kalimantan leads Group Y with two points, with Central Java and Jakarta following with a win and loss each. South Sumatra has yet to win.

Saturday’s matches were marked by poor attendance, caused mainly by the rain which began in falling in the morning. In the arena, however, the men’s match between West Java and East Kalimantan, was highly energized.

The hosts took the attacking initiative to leave the visitors far behind at 28-10. But West Java bounced back in the second quarter to post 24 points against East Kalimantan’s 12, before cooling off toward the end of the match.

“We only had one big man in Rendra Rudini. Akbar Taufik injured his shoulder during the second quarter, which made it difficult to coordinate our defense,” Enjang Rahmat, West Java’s team supervisor, told The Jakarta Post.

“With our defense dependent on Rendra, we had difficulty keeping their forward, Dodo, in check.”

Dodo scored only 13 points, but his charges into the attacking zone split his opponents’ concentration and left Chrismast Bonanza Siregar free to post 23 points.

West Java has to beat Aceh to keep alive any chance of advancing to the semis. Both teams, as well as the hosts, could finish the group stage with the same number of points. Should this occur, the team with the highest average points scored will advance.

Aceh, a point ahead of West Java and East Kalimantan, have a better chance of advancing. Their surprise run in the competition is being reflected by other teams previously considered cannon fodder. Papua, for instance, has also performed well in defeating West Java and North Sumatra in the women’s competition.

The trend is a positive sign for the country’s future performance in international competitions, Azwar Zulkarnaen, an official from the Indonesian Basketball Association, said.

“I’m happy the teams are equally matched. It makes it more difficult to predict the winner in each match,” he said.

“This gives our association a wider field to choose from when recruiting for the national team, and reflects well on our work thus far.”

The semifinal lineup will be determined after teams play their final group matches on Sunday.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Entry Filed under: East Java News