Singapore – After having a three-week break, the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers came out with guns blazing as they beat the visiting Bangkok Cobras, 95-78. Kyle Jeffers led all scorers with 25 points, while also grabbing 11 rebounds. Louis Graham had another double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Guards Don Dulay and Wong Wei Long had 19 and 18 points, respectively. Spitfire guard Jai Reyes led the Cobras in scoring with 21 points. Gentry Lewis had 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Marvin Cruz had 14.
The Slingers started hot, scoring 37 points in the first quarter while forcing the Cobras to 9 turnovers. Wong Wei Long, who came off the bench early due to Desmond Oh getting in foul trouble, hit 3 of 4 from the 3 point line. Wei Long finished the quarter with 10 points. Kyle Jeffers also had 10 points in the opening quarter.
“Coming off a long break, we thought that the guys would be a little rusty. I am not surprised though with our outside shooting and our pressure defense – that is what we have focused on in our practices,” said JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers Coach Neo Beng Siang.
The JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers, which is currently the second-best defensive team in the league, hounded the Bangkok Cobras to 24 turnovers for the game. The Slingers were able to capitalize on the Cobras’ turnovers and translated these into 20 points. The Cobras on the other hand, only had 6 points off turnovers.
The Slingers led by as many as 33 points midway through the 3rd quarter but Jai Reyes of the Cobras had other plans as he kept driving into the lane trying hard to bring his team back. Reyes had 11 points in the quarter. The Cobras cut the Slingers lead down to 24 points at the end of third quarter.
The Slingers led by as many as 33 points midway through the 3rd quarter but Jai Reyes of the Cobras had other plans as he kept driving into the lane trying hard to bring his team back. Reyes had 11 points in the quarter. The Cobras cut the Slingers lead down to 24 points at the end of third quarter.
“Consistency continues to be our biggest hurdle. We played well as a team, as we have all season, in the first half building a 25 point lead. The second half was the opposite with more individual play in the 3rd & 4th quarters. We were lucky we were playing at home with the crowd cheering for us,” said Michael Johnson, General Manager of the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers.
The JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers continue their run for the playoffs as they travel to the Philippines to take on the San Miguel Beermen on Wednesday, April 25, at the Ynares Arena in Pasig. Gametime is set at 4PM. This will also be the 1st AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League Double Header as the AirAsia Philippine Patriots host the Saigon Heat at 7PM.
For more information about the Singapore Slingers, log on to our website at www.singaporeslingers.com. You may also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OfficialSingaporeSlingers and on Twitter, www.twitter.com/SGSlingers.
Box Scores:
JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers 95 – Jeffers 25, Graham 21, Dulay 19, Wei Long 18, Canta 6, Sheng Yu 4, Desmond 2, Steven 0, Delvin 0, Han Bin 0
Bangkok Cobras 78 – Reyes 21, Gentry 15, Cruz 14, George 9, Wanna 8, Kruatiwa 6, Kongkum 5, Apiromvilaichai 0, Chaiwat 0, Limsuwan 0, Inmaung 0
Quarter Scores: 35-20, 52-27, 72-48, 95-78
