HARIMAU MALAYSIA and Kuala Lumpur Aseel will clash for the Sportsclick Filbasket International Championship title after decisive semifinal victories on Saturday night.
Harimau trampled Malacca Basketball Club, 92-59, in the featured game thanks largely to a 34-point eruption by gunner Ting Chun Hong, also known as “Meimei.”
Coach Jeff Viernes’s team began the game with a 22-5 run to the delight of the fans at the MABA Stadium, and never looked back.
Ting added eight rebounds and two assists and shot 12 of 19 from the field and 9 of 15 from three-point range in another standout performance in the tournament.
Wong Yi Hou added 15 points for the national team while Kuek Tian Yan contributed 11. Phang Yoon Kong led the overmatched Malaccans with 14 points.
Harimau will tangle with Kuala Lumpur Aseel in the championship game set 8:30 pm on Sunday.
Kuala Lumpur Aseel employed a stunning 16-2 start to the third quarter to bury Pilipinas Aguilas, 72-63, in the other first semifinal.
Wee Yong Gan was the sparkplug for the Malaysian team with a game-high 18 points.
The teams were level at 30-all after the first twenty minutes but Aseel ratcheted up the pressure with a devastating zone defense that stymied the Filipinos in the third quarter, with Wee and Dee Wee Yiang providing most of the artillery.
Aseel lead by 19, 60-41, at the end of the period.
The Aguilas tried to make a game of it in the final period, and when Raffy Reyes canned a triple with five minutes left the lead had shrunk to seven, 63-56.
But that only cued the fighting cocks to reassert themselves, and when Lim Chee Wee knocked in a trey with a bit over two minutes left to give his side a 72-57, the contest was effectively over.
Lim finished with 13 points and Dee chipped in 11. Mac Baracael’s 18 led the Aguilas.
The Aguilas and Malacca will contest the bronze medal match at 6:00 pm on Sunday.