Story by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports. Photos by Tan Jon Han and Joseph Lee/Red Sports
(From left) Donald Singleton, Jones-Jennings, Mitchell Folkoff and Desmond Oh sit out the final minutes of the game. The Slammers maintained a double-digit lead over the Slingers for the majority of the game and won 73–49. (Photo 1 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
Singapore Indoor Stadium, Sunday, April 28, 2013 – The Singapore Slingers’ playoff chances were dealt a huge blow when they were defeated 49–73 by the Thailand Slammers in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).
The result leaves the fifth-place Slingers with a 6–12 win-loss record, a full game behind the Slammers, who hold the final playoff spot with a 7–12 record. The win also gives the Slammers the season series 3–2 which will give them the tiebreaker should both teams end the season with the same record.
The Slingers were expected to be pumped up for their first home match in a month after they managed to steal a 62–56 win in Thailand just seven days ago, but instead, they were sloppy and were outplayed by the visitors.
Chris Charles had his way with the Slingers’ bigs as he got a double-double of 19 points and 19 rebounds while Darrius Brannon had 15 points and 16 rebounds. Froilan Baguion added 14 points and 10 assist for the Slammers.
In contrast, the Slingers did not have any standout players. Rashaad Singleton and Santiago Cabatu had eight points each while Rashad Jones-Jennings managed just five points and seven rebounds. Point guard Phillip Morrison, who averaged 23 points in his last three games on the road, had just four points, shooting 0 for 8 from the field.
“Defensively, we did good job and I think that was key,” declared Joe Bryant, head coach of the Slammers.
“Morrison lit us up in the last game so we needed to keep him quiet. I told the players that anyone can score but Morrison. We also changed offensively and that allowed us to get this big win. The players were playing with playoff intensity.”
“It (the playoff race) is still not over yet. We still have to try to win some more games and I think it will go down to the wire.”
The Slammers were the better team from the tip-off as they sprinted to a 9–0 lead, prompting an early time out from the Slingers’ bench. However, that did little change the direction of the match as the Slingers failed to make a field goal in the first six minutes of the match, missing their first 10 shots.
Eventually, Singleton’s layup made it 6–11, but the visitors took a 20–12 lead into the second quarter where they continued to dominate.
The Slingers were undone by their inability to stop the speedy Baguion as his repeated drives to the basket off the screen allowed his teammates to be open for easy layups. As a result, Brannon already had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds at the half with the Slammers taking a comfortable 41–23 lead into the locker room.
At the start of the third quarter, the Slingers were able to pull off a couple of defensive stops, but at the other end, they failed to convert their chances. Rashad Jones-Jennings, in particular, was clearly off his game as he looked sluggish in the third quarter, unable to make his presence felt in the paint.
He was eventually replaced by Delvin Goh with three minutes remaining in the third, but the deficit was already 28–55 by then.
The fourth quarter was a mere formality as the Slammers continued to extend their lead to as many as 34 points.
The only silver lining for the Slingers came in the final two minutes of the game when both teams threw their reserves on with the game done and dusted. The hunger from the local lads despite the huge deficit was certainly commendable as they went on an 11–3 run to end the match and make the scoreline more respectable.
Slingers head coach Neo Beng Siang gave a harsh assessment of his team after the match.
“The whole team seemed like quitting, especially the starting five,” judged Neo.
“Am I putting too much pressure on them? I don’t know. I have to talk to them to find out what is wrong. We found a way to win the last game against the Slammers and we should’ve been pumped up more than anybody because a playoff spot was on the line.”
“At both ends, we were a different team. We were horrible on defense and failed to execute on offense. There were also crucial turnovers that we made in the first quarter that allowed them to take the lead.”
The Slingers will hope to revive their season when they travel to Vietnam to face the Saigon Heat on Thursday, May 2, at 8pm.
Score by Quarter
Slingers vs Slammers
1st Q: 12–20
2nd Q: 11–21 (23–41)
3rd Q: 10–16 (33–57)
4th Q: 16–16 (49–73)
Slingers: Cabatu – 8, Singleton – 8, Jennings – 5, Lim – 5, Wong – 5, Wu – 5, Morrison – 4, Goh – 4, Oh – 3, Folkoff – 2.
Slammers: Charles – 19, Brannon – 15, Baguion – 14, Dasom – 10 , Apiromvilaichai – 4, Samerjai – 4, Sekteera – 2, Klahan – 2, Lertlaaokul – 2, Kongkum – 1.
2013 Singapore Slingers fixture schedule and results
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