A refreshed Singapore squad is expected to show up at the MABA Stadium where they’ll play their rival Westports Malaysia Dragons for the first game of this ABL season’s edition of the Straits Cup.
Since 2015, the two storied opponents have engaged in a home-and-home series for a weekend to add extra flavor into their rivalry and, with the stakes being high at this stage of the elimination round, fans can expect the best from both teams.
The Slingers have not seen action since they defeated the Saigon Heat at home, 76-70, back in February 10 and, according to head coach Neo Beng Siang, the break is a welcome respite from the wear and tear of the longer ABL season.
“This break is good for us because it could get us refreshed, specially for our imports who are playing heavy minutes,” he said.
However, the coach also cautioned his team that they’ll need to retain the old fire that they had, especially on the defensive end, that helped them win three of their last four games.
“We need to be mentally strong and focus on the task at hand,” the coach reminded his players. “We need to keep playing to our strengths, which is defense.”
Big man John Fields agreed with his coach in saying the break could be important heading into the final stretch of the elimination round for the Slingers.
“It helps us refocus. Going into the last games before the playoffs and getting small injuries out of the way is important to us because we need everyone to be at their best,” Fields said.
The first meeting between the Slingers and the Dragons turned out to be a blowout win for Singapore at home. They started the game scoring 29 to 7 in the first quarter and they never looked back.
However, Westports Malaysia has gotten so much better after that point. They’ve added a big weapon in Winston Shepard while local Justin Wong has played much better.
After a string of low-scoring outputs, Wong finally made his presence felt again with 15 points for the Dragons in their last game although it was on a losing effort to the Formosa Dreamers.
The Slingers will still be favored to win the game as they have a solid group of imports with Fields joined by Jerran Young and the ABL veteran Xavier Alexander. However, what sets them apart from the Dragons is that Singapore’s local starters are more consistent. Delvin Goh can e a double-double threat while Desmond Oh can be the most important player of the floor without scoring a single point because of his ability to slow down the best opposing playmakers.
Singapore will be starting the Straits Cup on the road but they’re eager to get an early advantage before the action shifts to the OCBC Arena this coming Sunday.
