PETALING JAYA: Westports Malaysia Dragons stamped their Asean Basketball League (ABL) title credentials with a crushing 89-64 win over Laskar Dreyar South Sumatra in Palembang for their fourth win on the trot.
The Dragons, who had beaten Laskar Dreyar 106-84 when the teams first met on Sept 5, overwhelmed the Indonesian side in the first quarter to storm into a 24-9 lead.
With first-time captain and shooting guard Loh Shee Fai in fine fettle, the Dragons pressed home their advantage to lead 50-28 by the end of the second quarter.
Winless Laskar Dreyar emerged a different team after the break as they outscored the Dragons in the third quarter to reduce the lead to just 64-48.
But the Dragons held firm in the final quarter for a comfortable win.
“I think we were a little too relaxed in the third quarter ... so, I challenged the boys to work on the defence and I’m happy they did that,” said Dragons head coach Ariel Vanguardia.
Hotshot Chris Eversley led the way for the Dragons with 25 points. Point guard Avery Scharer flirted with becoming the first player in the league to achieve a triple-double but had to settle for 12 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.
The Dragons, who have a 9-3 record, however remained in second place in the six-team league as leaders HiTech Bangkok City have two games in hand.
They will face 2012 champions Indonesia Warriors on Friday.
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