Chee Wei and his Tigers out to ‘break a leg’ in the final

Lim Chee Wei (left), Ooi Xian Fu (right). Pix credit: Major Basketball League

PETALING JAYA: It was double happiness for captain Lim Chee Wei of Johor Southern Tigers in the ongoing Malaysia Under-23 D-League. Chee Wei and his team stormed into the final after fighting tooth and nail to beat NS Matrix Deers 97-93 at the Maba Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

Johor Southern Tigers got off to a strong start, finishing the first quarter with a 30-20 lead before widening the gap to 58-40 by half-time and continued to show their dominance by maintaining a lead of 84-64 in the third quarter.

The Deers attempted a comeback, but the Tigers held their ground firmly and secured the game with a 97-93 victory.

With the win, they earned the right for a title showdown and justified their reputation as the Under-20 champions.

It was a surprise for Chee Wei and his boys as they have never thought of reaching this far.

“Actually, our initial target was to reach the semi-finals,” said the 20-year-old Chee Wei.

“But since we have made it to the final, let’s continue our good work and break a leg in the tomorrow’s (today’s) final!”

The icing on the cake for Chee Wei was that he was named as the player of the game for his outstanding contribution of 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. However, Chee Wei was not satisfied with his overall performance.

“I feel that there’s room for improvement,” said Chee Wei.

“In the second half, I experienced a drop in energy and concentration, resulting in defensive lapses and difficulties in maintaining ball possession control. As for our final, we need to improve our stamina and shooting accuracy.” Men’s semi-finals: Johor Southern Tigers bt NS Matrix Deers 97-93.

Women’s bronze medal match: NS Matrix Deers bt Hillcrest Grays 48-39.