Slingers edge Knights in defensive battle in Surabaya, now 1 win from ABL title
SINGAPORE — They began their third Asean Basketball League (ABL) Finals appearance with a heavy defeat, but after edging the CSL Knights Indonesia 63-60 in Surabaya on Wednesday (8 May), the Singapore Slingers are just one win away from earning their first ABL title.
American imports John Fields and Jerran Young scored 16 points each to lead the Slingers to the hard-fought Game Three victory in the intimidating atmosphere of GOR CLS Kertajaya, the Knights’ home arena.
This means the Slingers – one of the six pioneering teams of the ABL when it was inaugurated in 2009 – lead the best-of-five Finals series 2-1, and have two chances to clinch their first-ever title, after coming in second in 2016 and 2017.
Defensive battle in Surabaya
Just like Game Two, it was a low-scoring defensive battle, with neither side able to shoot better than 33 per cent on the court.
In the end, it boiled down to free-throw making, and the Slingers were models of composure as the players knocked down nine of 11 free throws, while the Knights were uncharacteristically poor, making only six of 13 on their home court.
That prove crucial in the final seconds, when the Knights had two free throws to level the game with six seconds left on the clock. However, Knights guard Brandon Jawato made only one of them, giving the Slingers possession with a 61-60 advantage.
Young, by contrast, made both his free throws with two seconds left to seal the win.
Coach praises team’s resilience, desire
Slingers coach Neo Beng Siang praised his team’s resilience and desire. He told The Straits Times, "Defensively, we were locked in and we played as a team to hold them to another low score after Game Two.
"It is always going to be tough playing here. We told the players to focus and play like there is no tomorrow.
"I'm proud of the players. We talked about winning at least one game here and they showed how hungry they were to win.”
Game Four will be played in Surabaya on Saturday. If needed, Game Five will be played at the OCBC Arena on 15 May.
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