The Singapore Slingers withstood some trying moments in the end game to hack out a 81-79 victory over the Macau Black Bears and formalize their entry into the Semfinals of the ASEAN Basketball League.
The Slingers had to make due with the absence of Xavier Alexander, who fouled out with 1:35 remaining in the game. He committed a foul on a fadeaway attempt from the Black Bears’ World Import Mike McKinney, his fifth of the game. Thus the Slingers had to rely on Jerran Young and John Fields to carry them down the stretch.
And that’s exactly what they. Young hit a tough pull up jumper over Ryan Watkins when the Slingers were down by one point to push them ahead, 80-79, 19 seconds left in the game. The Black Bears were unable to respond, as both Mckinney and Watkins missed baskets in the paint. Fields rebounded, was fouled, and split his free throws to make it a two point lead. Dewarick Spencer missed a desperation triple, which triggered the celebration inside the OCBC Arena.
The Slingers return to the Semis after a one year absence, their first time since their Finals run against Hong Kong Eastern in 2017. They were led by Alexander’s 24 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists before fouling out, as the X-Man simply refused to let his team lose. Young bucked a slow start to finish with 13 points, 9 of them coming in the final period, along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Fields chipper in with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
The Slingers got solid production from Delvin Goh and Ng Han Bin in the win. After a scoreless Game 2,Goh bounced back with 9 points and 9 triples , while Han Bin had 7 points on two made triples.
Singapore’s victory catapults them into a semis matchup with Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team for the chance to advance to the Finals. Their series begins on April 12 at the OCBC Arena
