Sunday, December 28, 2003

Hsu Chi-chao, Tien Lei help Dacin shut down Taiwan Beer

Dacin played its best game of the season on both ends of the court as they beat Taiwan Beer 65-61 in an intensive battle tonight to even their winning percentage at .500. Veteran F Hsu Chi-chao burned TB with 23 points and Tien Lei help shut down the middle with his season-high 5 blocks.

Led by Lin Chih-jay’s 22 points, Taiwan Beer once again rallied in the second half when they cut the 16-point halftime deficit to under five points. However, a couple of controversial calls cost them the chance to win.

Taiwan Beer dropped two straight in three days and went from third-place to fifth. Dacin is 3-3 and tied with SINA for third.

In another game, Jutai ended its four game losing streak by defeating Bank of Taiwan 81-74. O-Yang Jin-hen and Wu Cheng-dao had 21 and 20 points respectively to make up for the absence of leading scorer Yang Yu-ming, who was listed injured.

Sources told me that Yang actually is not injured. He clashed with owner and served an one-game internal suspension. Sources also said former NT coach Lee Chin-chi, who was without a job right now, will join Jutai’s coaching staff within a week. It’s possible Lee will replace current head coach Liu Hwa-lin eventually.

Summary
Jutai 81-74 Bank of Taiwan (Half 36-33)
Jutai – O-Yang Jin-hen 21p, Wu Cheng-dao 20p, Shan Wei-fan 13p
BOT – Ju Yong-hong 18p+10rb, Lin Chun-feng 16p, Yang Chin-ming 11p, Wu Yong-jen 11p

Dacin 65-61 Taiwan Beer (Half 39-23)
Dacin – Hsu Chi-chao 23p, Chang Chi-feng 14p+7rb, Tien Lei 11p+8rb+4s+5blk, Lee Fong-yong 11p+11rb
TB – Lin Chih-jay 22p+8rb, Chen Shi-nian 13p, Wu Chih-yuan 7p+10rb

Saturday, December 27, 2003

SINA routs Mars to win three straight

Huang Chun-hsiung had his third double-double in 4 games this season as SINA routed Mars 76-50 tonight to win three straight after a three-game losing streak. SINA climbs up to .500 for the first time this season.

Mars, who lost injured starting PG Yen Shin-shu for the third straight game, was a disaster throughout the whole game. Mars dug a big hole early in the first quarter, trailing 9-24. Everything went downhill for them thereafter. Mars set the lowest single-game scoring mark for the season and trailed by as many as 30.

Summary
SINA 76-50 Mars (Half 52-31)
SINA – Huang Chun-hsiung 22p+12rb, Liu Yi-hsiang 16p, Hsiung Jen-jen 14p, Lo Shin-liang 7p+7a
Mars – Lee Chi-yi 10p+6rb

Friday, December 26, 2003

Lin outscores Chen 31-15 but Yulon prevails

18 points in the third quarter. Game-high 31 points. Lin Chih-jay showed why he is the hottest young star in Taiwan tonight and almost completed the unbelievable feat again. But Taiwan Beer couldn’t hang on with league-leading Yulon for four quarters and eventually lost the roller-coaster game, 78-90.

In the most anticipated individual rivalry, Chen Hsin-an paled in comparison with Lin, managing to score only 15 points. However it was Chen’s baseline jumper with one minute remaining sealed the victory for Yulon, who won six straight and remained the only undefeated team in the league.

It looked like the game would end up in lopsided results after halftime with Yulon leading 53-37. But Lin Chih-jay refused to lose. He had four three-pointers, two of which from NBA-range, and completed a three-point play when he made a left-handed twisting layup between three defenders.

Within 10 minutes, Taiwan Beer turned a 17-point deficit into a one-point lead, jumping front 66-65 at the end of the third quarter. However Taiwan Beer finally ran out of steam in the final quarter. Lin managed to score three more points in the final 10 minutes.

Taiwan Beer is now back at .500 with three wins and three losses, ranking third behind Yulon and Mars (4-2).

Summary
Yulon 90-78 Taiwan Beer (Half 53-37)
Yulon – Tsun Wen-din 16p, Chen Hsin-an 15p(6-16 FG, 1-8 3PT)+4a, Chen Chih-chun 13p, Chiu Chi-yi 12p, Wu Chih-wei 11p+5rb
TB – Lin Chih-jay 31p(11-26 FG, 6-18 3PT)+6rb, Wu Yang-huei 13p, Liao Wei-chen 11p, Pan Jen-der 10p

Thursday, December 25, 2003

Chen-Lin rivalry highlights SBL action after X’mas

After a BYE week, SBL resumes its schedule tomorrow PM 19:00 when No.1 Yulon (5-0) faces No.3 Taiwan Beer (3-2) for the first time this season. Most of all, the “Chen Hsin-an vs. Lin Chih-jay” rivalry will give fans more than one reason to feel the excitement.

Chen Hsin-an has been praised for the No.1 baller in Taiwan for years. Although his stats hardly show he’s No.1 (14.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists), Chen is trying to help his team in a more versatile way and never take personal stats seriously. Still, fans expect to see Chen’s breakout performance. With Chen’s game and gifted athleticism, he can practically dominate any game he’s in.

Chen is the first Asian player invited to an NBA pre-season training camp in 2002. Although he was cut eventually by Sacramento Kings, Chen is still regarded as Taiwan’s great hope.

Lin Chih-jay is a prodigy who burst onto the scene this year. He showed flashes of brilliance in limited playing time with Taiwan NT in Harbin, China. But it was until SBL started that he captivated with his awesome skills. Within two weeks, Lin pulled down the backboard with one of his trademark power dunk and had two games in which he scored more than 30. He made 9 three-pointers and single-handedly led Taiwan Beer to an overtime victory over BCC Mars.

At this moment, Lin is leading the league in scoring with 23.2 points per game. He also averaged 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game, shooting 37% behind the three-point line.

Lin is two years younger than Chen, but in terms of experience in both international play and upper level, he is a couple more years back compared to Chen.

Lin only played one year of high school ball. Before catching anyone’s notice, his school dropped men’s basketball program. Lin was selected to the national team in his freshmen year in college but didn’t reported to the camp and later was banned for one year in NT play by CTBA.

Without a doubt, everyone will be looking forward to see these two young men tomorrow.

Sunday, December 14, 2003

SINA wins two straight after 0-3 start

Lo Shin-liang had 33 points as SINA routed Bank of Taiwan 83-60 tonight to win two straight after the season-opening 0-3 start. Jutai lost its fourth consecutive game despite Yang Yu-ming’s game-high 27 points.

SINA 83-60 BOT (Half 47-37)
SINA – Lo Shin-liang 33p+7rb, Huang Chun-hsiung 12p+7rb, Chou Jun-san 9p+5rb+5a
BOT – Yang Chin-min 23p+6s, Ju Yong-hong 14p+6rb

Mars 88-70 Jutai (Half 53-34)
Mars – Lai Kuo-hong 23p+10rb, Lee Chi-shun 17p, Lee Chi-yi 11p+10rb
Jutai – Yang Yu-ming 27p, Shan Wei-fan 11p+8rb, Wu Dai-hao 8p+9rb

Saturday, December 13, 2003

Lin Chih-jay scores 32 as Taiwan Beer upset Mars in OT

Rising star Lin Chih-jay scored 32 points tonight as Taiwan Beer edged Mars 88-86 in overtime. Lin made nine three-pointers in the game, including the game-tying three-pointer with 15.4 seconds remaining that took the game into overtime.

Lin Chih-jay, the No. 2 leading scorer in the SBL, had his second 30-plus game of the season, following a 39-point outburst two weeks ago. With his unstoppable one-on-one skills and charisma to excite the crowd, Lin is right now the hottest player in the league that everyone talks about.

Although Mars was able to stop Lin from his penetration, they couldn’t stop him in the perimeter. Forward Lee Chi-yi, Lin’s high school teammate, had 22 points and 14 boards for the Mars, who had its three-game winning streak stopped.

Mars starting PG Yen Shin-shu did not suit up tonight because of tendonitis.

Yulon beat Dacin 74-71 in another intense battle to extend its winning streak to five games. Dacin used its trademark three-point attack and rallied in the fourth quarter, when they outscored Yulon 26-15. But that was not enough. Yulon guard Lee Chih-ming’s crucial three-pointers in the final minutes made sure Yulon came away with a big W.

Taiwan Beer 88-86(OT) Mars (Half 51-43)
TB – Lin Chih-jay 32p, Wu Yang-huei 17p+5rb, Chen Shi-nian 10p+10rb+8a
Mars – Lee Chi-yi 22p+14rb, Lin Jia-huang 22p, Chen Huei 12p+7rb+6a

Yulon 74-71 Dacin (Half 34-24)
Yulon – Chen Hsin-an 15p+6rb+6a, Wei Yong-tai 13p+9rb, Lee Chih-ming 13p, Tsun Wen-din 10p+12rb+4blk
Dacin – Tien Lei 18p+7rb+3blk, Hsu Chi-chao 18p, Chang Chi-feng 13p

Friday, December 12, 2003

BOT held off Jutai’s late rally

Bank of Taiwan, who led as many as 15 points in the final period, held off a furious rally by Jutai in the final four minutes and won 67-61 tonight. BOT is now 2-3, while Jutai lost three straight and dropped to the league-worst 1-4.

Height disadvantage didn’t stop BOT from attacking the boards, as the shortest team in the league beat their opponents on the boards for the fifth consecutive game, winning the rebounding battle 50-36 tonight. Little-known BOT center Chou Ben-tang had one of the best games in his career with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 2 blocks. PF Ju Yong-hong also had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

BOT used its quickness to increase the lead in the third period and seemed taken control of the game with 4 minutes left. But NT shooting guard Yang Yu-ming refused to give up and single-handedly led his team back in the game. Held scoreless in the first 36 minutes, Yang Yu-ming scored Jutai’s last 14 points before BOT pulled away once again in the final minute.

Bank of Taiwan 67-61 Jutai (Half 32-32)
BOT – Chou Ben-tang 16p+16rb+2blk, Ju Yong-hong 16p+14rb, Chen Shen-ya 13p, Lin Chun-feng 10p+9rb
Jutai – Wu Cheng-dao 16p, Yang Yu-ming 14p+9rb, Wu Dai-hao 11p+4rb+3blk

Sunday, December 07, 2003

Mars wins three straight despite missing 20 FTs

They missed 20 of 38 free-throw attempts and were beaten on the boards (31-45), but Mars still showed their balanced attack by defeating Bank of Taiwan 88-74 tonight as Mars won three straight following the season-opening loss.

Led by Lee Chi-yi’s 14 points and 8 rebounds, Mars had five players scoring in double figures and made 53% of their shots. Thanks to an 11-0 run in less than two minutes midway in the 4th quarter, Mars managed to put the game away.

SBL scoring leader Tien Lei had another outstanding game of 19 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals as Dacin edged Jutai 65-61. Dacin is now tied at 2-2 with Taiwan Beer. Jutai dropped to 1-3 along with SINA and BOT.

Dacin 65-61 Jutai (Half 36-32)
Dacin – Tien Lei 19p+17rb+5a+4s, Huang Chih-chun 14p, Hsu Chi-chao 10p
Jutai – Shan Wei-fan 24p, Yang Yu-min 15p, Wu Cheng-dao 11p

Mars 88-74 Bank of Taiwan (Half 38-34)
Mars – Lee Chi-yi 14p+8rb, Lai Kuo-hong 12p, Yen Shin-shu 12p, Chen Huei 11p+7rb, Lin Jia-huang 10p
BOT – Chuan Xiao-wen 17p, Hsu Hao-cheng 14p+5rb+5a, Yang Chin-min 10p, Lin Chun-feng 9p+8rb

Chiang-shu beat Japan’s Rakunan to win HS tournament

PG Su Yi-chieh had 17 points and 7 assists and C Hong Ying-che had 16 points and 9 rebounds as Chiang-shu HS beat Japan’s Rakunan HS 76-70 in the 2003 International High School Tournament title game. Chiang-shu’s SF Lin Yi-huei also had 16 points.

Results
Men’s final: Chiang-shu 76-70 Rakunan(Japan)
Men’s 3rd-place: Nan-shan 56-55 Kao-yuan
Men’s 5th-place: Tsai-shin 84-60 Tongya(South Korea)

Women’s final: Sowa(Japan) 68-58 Tam-shui
Women’s 3rd-place: Hai-shan 62-58 Jin-O
Women’s 5th-place: Soong-il(South Korea) 62-53 Taipei First Girls’

Saturday, December 06, 2003

International High School Tournament - Day 3

Results
Men's: Rakunan 57-45 Kao-yuan ; Nan-shan 64-59 Tongya
Women's: Sowa 63-52 Taipei First Girls' ; Jin-O 75-47 Soong-il

Preliminary Final Standings
Men's
Group A: Rakunan 2-0, Kao-yuan 1-1, Tsai-shin 0-2
Group B: Chiang-shu 2-0, Nan-shan 1-1, Tongya 0-2

Women's
Group A: Sowa 2-0, Hai-shan 1-1, Taipei First Girls' 0-2
Group B: Tam-shui 2-0, Jin-O 1-1, Soong-il 0-2

Playoffs Schedules
Men's
Final: Rakunan vs. Chiang-shu
3rd-place: Kao-yuan vs. Nan-shan
5th-place: Tsai-shin vs. Tongya

Women's
Final: Sowa vs. Tamshui
3rd-place: Hai-shan vs. Jin-O
5th-place: Taipei First Girls' vs. Soong-il

SINA ends three-game losing streak

SINA finally found back their offensive rhythm, as veterans Huang Chun-hsiung, Chou Jun-san and Lo Shin-liang had 50 points collectively to lead SINA (1-3) get past Taiwan Beer (2-2) 75-70 and ended their three-game losing streak.

In the other game, Chen Hsin-an had 23 points and 10 rebounds to power Yulon (4-0) to a 74-66 victory over Bank of Taiwan (1-2), which lost two straight. Yulon won four straight and remained the only undefeated team.

Summary
SINA 75-70 Taiwan Beer (Half 35-32)
SINA – Huang Chun-hsiung 17p+15rb+2blk, Lo Shin-liang 17p, Chou Jun-san 16p, Liu Yi-hsiang 12p+7rb

Yulon 74-66 Bank of Taiwan (Half 36-33)
Yulon – Chen Hsin-an 23p+10rb+4a, Chen Chih-chun 9p+3s
BOT – Lin Chun-feng 24p, Hsu Hao-cheng 16p+12rb, Wu Yong-jen 10p

Friday, December 05, 2003

International High School Tournament – Day 2

Men’s – Kao-yuan 57-47 Tsai-shin ; Chiang-shu 59-54 Nan-shan
Women’s – Hai-shan 63-62 Taipei First Girls’ HS ; Tam-shui 44-40 Jin-O

Standings
Men’s
Group A: Rakunan 1-0, Kao-yuan 1-0, Tsai-shin 0-2
Group B: Chiang-shu 2-0, Nan-shan 0-1, Tongya 0-1

Women’s
Group A: Sowa 1-0, Hai-shan 1-1, Taipei First Girls’ 0-1
Group B: Tam-shui 2-0, Soong-il 0-1, Jin-O 0-1

Lin Jia-huang helps Mars rout Dacin

Lin Jia-huang had 21 points, including 5 three-pointers, and helped Mars beat Dacin 93-79 in the only SBL game tonight. Mars pulled the game away early, leading 30-20 after the first quarter, and was never threatened. Tien Lei led Dacin with 25 points and 9 boards.

Mars 93-79 Dacin
Mars – Lin Jia-huang 21p, Lee Chi-yi 18p+10rb, Lai Kuo-hong 14p, Yen Shin-shu 9p+7rb+9a
Dacin – Tien Lei 25p+9rb+3s, Lee Fong-yong 13p, Chang Chi-feng 12p+9rb

Thursday, December 04, 2003

International High School Tournament - First day

Date: 12/4-12/7
Place: Taipei
Men’s teams(6): Tsai-shin HS, Chiang-shu HS, Kao-yuan HS, Nan-shan HS, Tongya HS (South Korea), Rakunan HS (Japan)
Women’s teams(6): Tam-shui HS, Hai-shan HS, Jin-O HS, Taipei First Girls’ HS, Sowa HS (Japan), Soong-il HS (South Korea)


Results:
Men’s - Rakunan 80-78 Tsai-shin ; Chiang-shu 60-50 Tongya
Women’s – Tam-shui 74-67 Soong-il ; Sowa 58-47 Hai-shan

Yitong Trust wins President Cup

Yitong Trust defeated NTCPE (National Taiwan College of Physical Education) 2-0 in the best-of-three final series and won its first President Cup champion in team history. Kuo-kwang Power beat Richway Tech 2-1 in the best-of-three 3rd-place series.

President Cup was divided into two divisions – Division I and II – before the formation of SBL (Super Basketball League). Currently there’s only one division in the President Cup.

President Cup Preliminary Round Standings:
1. Yitong Trust 6-1
2. NTCPE 5-2
3. Kuo-kwang Power 5-2
4. Richway Tech 4-3
5. TNIT 4-3
6. Tsaishin Alumni 2-5
7. Shinwu 2-5
8. Jin-jin Design 0-7

Top four teams meet in the best-of-three playoff series, where Yitong faces NTCPE in the finals and Kuo-kwang Power meets Richway Tech in the 3rd-place series.