Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
CARA MUDAH picked up a vital victory after defeating HL Jaya 83-65 in Group B of the Low San Basketball Tournament on Saturday.
Having lost their opener on Oct 2nd, they required a win to stay in contention for a quarter-finals berth.
Cara Mudah had distributed scoring across the board with five players hitting double figures.
Jake Chong and Ong Jian An led the way with 13 points apiece.
The duo of Jayden Chen and Wong Li Shean each grabbed 11 while Devon Lim notched 10.
On the other hand, Tan Kun Hor scored a game-high of 17 points to pace HL Jaya.
Darren Lee was the other in double figures with 15 - all of them coming in the first half.
HL Jaya closed the gap to within four points at 31-27 after a three-pointer by Lee early in the second quarter leading to a Cara Mudah timeout.
Cara Mudah struggled heavily on their outside shooting but made up for it with their defence.
With superior stamina, substitutions were made in groups of five to ensure fresh legs.
They attacked the basket and found themselves up 42-30 at halftime.
HL Jaya looked gassed after the interval with players pulling onto their shorts every time there was stoppage of play.
It looked over as Cara Mudah led by 21 after a short jumper by Ong saw them carry a 64-43 advantage into the final period.
HL Jaya began the fourth quarter with a 12-0 run - mostly turning the break into points.
Chong hit a layup to stop the bleeding after over three minutes of play.
Immediately at the other end, Lim Jin Shyang connected on a trey to see Cara Mudah switch their entire unit.
It worked as it sparked eight unanswered points starting with a three-point play by Ong.
Chen then hit a three-pointer from the corner followed by a Edwin Oei layup to settle the tie.
The earlier game saw TK Teahouse beat Nuctech 97-79 in Group A.
The competition continues on Sunday with only one match between Propel and Anta Brunei at 7pm in Group D.
