Although the Singapore Slingers lost their grip of the Straits Cup to the Kuala Lumpur Dragons, they still managed level the series at one win apiece heading into their next challenge as they face off against the best team in the ABL so far in the Mono Vampire Basketball Club.
Because of their one-point victory against the Dragons, the Slingers are now tied from the fifth to the seventh spots with Kuala Lumpur and the Macau Black Bears with identical 7-7 win-loss tallies. Beating the top team from Thailand will not only allow Singapore to inch their way into the top four but also give them even more confidence heading into the back end of the regular season.
Both Singapore and Mono Vampire are coming off overtime wins in their last games. Anthony McClain emerged as the hero for the Slingers as he scored the winning tip-in to give them an 88-87 victory against the Dragons.
McClain rescued Xavier Alexander who muffed two free throws in the end game but the Slingers would not have been in a position to win the game if it were not for the reigning World Import – MVP’s numbers.
Alexander picked up another triple-double with 27 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in the game. McClain and Marcus Elliott both grab double-doubles as they combined for 34 points and 28 rebounds while the big man adding seven blocks to his tally.
Delvin Goh also had an impressive outing with 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the field while adding 10 rebounds.
Mono Vampire, on the other end, took down the Taipei Fubon Braves and gave them their fourth straight defeat.
Michael Singletary was simply on another level in that match as he chipped in 31 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks, and two steals. Tyler Lamb added 21 points and seven rebounds as they outlasted the Braves, 90-86, overcoming the absence of Preston Knowles.
The first game between these two teams turned out to be a close one with Mono Vampire picking up the win. The Slingers were initially successful in making it a low-scoring game as fighting fire with fire against the Thai team’s deeper rotation would have been problematic. Unfortunately for the Slingers, their defense fell apart in the fourth quarter. After only allowing 14 points or less in the first three periods, Singapore gave up 26 points in the final quarter to allow Mono Vampire to grab a 67-65 win.
The Slingers will be looking for revenge and a way to move up the rankings as they pay a visit to the league-leading Mono Vampire on Wednesday.
