Walker unveils `magic' for Selangor

06/10/1998

SARAWAK HORNBILLS ... 75 PENANG STALLIONS .... 71
PERAK RED EAGLES ... .78 SELANGOR DRAGONS .... 82
SELANGOR Dragons beat Perak Red Eagles in the final men's match of the
first circuit in the Malaysian Basketball League (MBL) at the Maba Stadium
in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Dragons had eight points to show after four wins in as many matches.
Johor Tigers finished second in the first circuit with seven points.
Derrick Leak, as usual, provided the first six points for the Eagles in
a highly charged match.
Rodney Walker narrowed the gap for Dragons to 5-8 with excellent dunks
and a three-pointer in the early part of the match.
Walker again brought out his magic with a three-pointer for 8-8 and the
300-odd crowd at the stadium knew that it was going to be a close tussle
to the finish.
Ten minutes into the match, Eagles still managed to follow the Dragons
point-for-point and the score was tied at 18-18. Hardworking Yong Yoon
Phin was easily the best local player, whether in defence or attack.
At halftime, Dragons led 38-32.
K. Satyaseelan came into the picture for Eagles in the second half with
good dribbling on the left flank and a three-pointer from the right to
keep pace with 49-52.
But it became harder to deny Dragons a standing finish after 10 minutes
in the second half when they started playing with more composure to take a
10-point lead.
As the final seconds ticked away, and Eagles' Vern Robateau benched, the
Dragons romped home.
In the other match, Penang Stallions came within a whisker of winning
their first three points in the MBL but jitters in the dying minutes
denied them their moment of glory.
Greg Gibson started with a three-pointer for the Sarawak Hornbills but
Matt Houle, not to be outdone, emulated him.
Houle combined well with Billy Fikes to keep pace with the Hornbills and
overtake them for the first time after six minutes of play.
Mah Poh Chuan, who hardly reached the shoulders of Houle, combined well
with the import while on the other side of the court, Hornbills import
Hosie Gibson attempted wild shoots which missed by a mile.
After 10 minutes of play, Gibson finally found his touch but by then,
Penang had gone 19-12 ahead, thanks to three-pointers from Houle.
Houle, with three straight three-pointers, easily looked the best
foreign buy in the MBL. He singlehandedly turned the tide on the Hornbills
to take a 41-38 lead into the breather.
(END)