By Ian Chew

Slingers vs Air 21

Slingers Amien Kirkland evaded Air21’s defense to pour in 22 points for his team. The American was the second highest scorer for his team. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)

This time, the game was much closer and nail-biting for the fans.

The Slingers eventually pulled out a 32-18 run in the final period from deep within their reserves for a hard-fought 98-85 victory, after trailing all of the first three quarters. The win sent the visiting Air21 team packing with a losing record, though with their pride intact.

Slingers coach Gordon McLeod paid tribute to the opposing team.

“The Philippines are a proud country with great traditions in basketball and they certainly showed it tonight. Their players know the game well, are strong and athletic for their size and are certainly no pushovers.”

“They did their homework, came well-prepared and made us work really hard tonight,” he said.

Indeed, the Philippine Basketball Association league leading team came into the game with guns blazing in the first quarter, perhaps determined to atone for their dismal showing last game, where they were trounced 124-86. Starting forward Arwind Santos shone with his great shooting touch, scoring two for two from long range to contribute 10 first quarter points.

Worryingly, the lethargic Slingers failed to match their opponent’s intensity in the first quarter for the second game in a row. Slow defensive rotations and turnovers saw the local team falling deservedly behind 16-26 in the first quarter, setting the stage for a long evening ahead.

Forward JC Intal of the visiting team was also observed shadowing Slinger Darren Ng, the top scorer for the first game, tightly throughout the first quarter, allowing him little space to breathe. His disruptive tactics worked wonders as an often frustrated looking Darren finished with four points from a one out of three effort.

Slingers centre Eric Sandrin tried to shoulder his team’s offensive effort in the second quarter by going strong to the basket. He had an outstanding game, eventually finishing with 24 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. His second quarte 10-point output was a key reason behind his team’s comeback and covered for his teammate’s dismal shooting performance, though Air21 still maintained a 42-36 halftime edge.

The more than 2000 crowd at the Indoor Stadium were made to wait till midway in third quarter before the home team tied the score. Slingers point guard Shane MacDonald finally made the breakthrough with two free throws to tie the game at 47 apiece.

That was not enough as Air21’s Arwind Santos and Homer Se combined inside and outside play to keep the visitors ahead. Eric Sandrin though kept the Slingers close with an emphatic two-handed dunk at the buzzer.

Air21 may have ended the third quarter with a morale-boosting 67-66 lead, but their early foul troubles would soon come back to haunt them.

Sure enough, Air21’s best pure shooter Arwind Santos was sent to the bench early in the fourth quarter and his team struggled to create scoring opportunities from then on.

The Slingers then displayed their penchant for strong finishes as Al Vergara, Amien Kirkland, Chris Daniel, Shane MacDonald and Darren Ng all scored from beyond the 3-point arc to finish on a strong note.

A worrying moment came at the end of the game though when Eric fell awkwardly while going for a high flying one-handed dunk. He took a long time getting to his feet and his trainers will definitely be sweating on his fitness for the Slingers’ upcoming road trip to Taiwan.

The Slingers will next take on another Philippine outfit Purefoods on 30 Sept (Tue) at the Indoor Stadium. Fans can look forward to seeing Purefoods star James Yap in action!

Slingers vs Air 21

Darren Ng was much more closely tracked this time by the Air21 defence. He still managed a tough 9 points though. (Photo 2 © Les Tan/Red Sports)

Slingers vs Air 21

Kirkland’s second game for the Slingers was a much improved individual performance. His game also consisted of quick drives to the basket for easy lay-ups. (Photo 3 © Les Tan/Red Sports)

Slingers vs Air 21

Al Vergara proved to be an astute signing by the Slingers. Despite only training with the team for less than a week, he fitted in seamlessly and even contributed 14 points for the game. Coach Gordon describes him as “a real gem”. (Photo 4 © Les Tan/Red Sports)

Watch exciting 4th quarter highlights of the game:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYljrSXZY14

Watch exciting 3rd quarter highlights of the game:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H41ziHwVfQE

Watch exciting 2nd quarter highlights of the game:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCwr3ABw-yc

Watch exciting 1st quarter highlights of the game:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpM7GKyD_jM

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