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Tournament Results 08/31/99: 5th Annual 3on3 - A Smashing
Success! The 1999 3on3 -- A Smashing
Success
In the premier division (MEN'S ELITE) of the NACBA National
Championship Weekend, two familiar foes battled it out in one
of the most exciting championship finals in the past five years.
The Los Angeles R&K Little Horse narrowly defeated the San
Francisco Saints ('98 defending champions) by a score of 51-48.
These two teams are no strangers to each other as they have previously
faced each other in the championship finale five times from 1990-1999.
Complete coverage of Sunday's exciting playoff action can be
viewed below. ELITE EIGHT (playoff bound teams) No. 1 seed in Group competition: No. 2 seed in Group competition: Championship Sunday opened with a bang as playoff bound teams in the Men's Elite division began their quest for the coveted title of National Champions. In one quarterfinal matchup, the LA Little Horse defeated the San Francisco E&O Jade Arhatz 52-37. The game was played with championship intensity as the much bigger SF Jade Arhatz team played remarkably well throughout much of the game. But with less than five minutes remaining, LA held onto a 5-point lead and the ball. When the final whistle blew, a lead of five mushroomed to twelve as the LA team converted their free throws. Los Angeles was led by Kenny Phan (22 pts) and Joe Diep (12 pts). The San Francisco Jade Arhatz was paced by the scoring of their big man Phil Chang (9 pts) and Brian Yang (8 pts). The other quarterfinal matchup pitted the host team, New York Rockits AIA versus the Seattle Bladerunners. Both teams started out cold as evidenced by the halftime score of 10-8 in favor of Seattle. The shooting was horrendous as both teams struggled to convert on their field goal attempts. Thankfully both teams woke up in the second half (just a little) as Seattle outlasted the Rockits 33-26. 6'7" Kyle Kiang led the way for the Bladerunners with 14 pts. For the Rockits, guard Tom Yih netted 7 pts. The 10am quarterfinal game saw the defending champions San Francisco Saints defeat a much improved young Toronto CCYAA Select B team by a score of 49-29. The powerful Saints squad didn't waste any time letting their opponents know who they were playing as they pulled out to a comfortable double digit lead only minutes into the game. But that didn't discourage the Toronto team one bit as they continued to compete feverishly before succumbing in the final minutes. In an interview with Clement Chu of the Toronto B team immediately after the game. He said, "we were honored to have played against the San Francisco Saints. Our team is young and this playoff experience will definitely benefit us in the future." Leading the scoring attack for the SF Saints was Ryan Nakamura 11 pts, Dieu Vuong (9 pts) and Henry Ku (8pts). Toronto was paced by the scoring of Adrian Ho (11 pts) and Albert Tsang (6 pts). The final quarterfinal game saw the Washington CYC defeat the Montreal Kaitas 53-33. Once again, the speed and quickness of the Washington team proved too much for the Kaitas. With lightning quick guards Chris (8pts) and Jeff Lee (10 pts) supplying the pressure defense and Keith Wang (18 pts) providing the offense, CYC was on its way to its first ever final four appearance. Ronald Chang led Montreal with 13 pts. As expected, the Los Angeles Little Horse and San Francisco
Saints teams advanced into the final four round. What was unexpected
was the outstanding play of the Washington CYC and Seattle Bladerunners,
as both teams were making their first final four appearance.
The excitement was evident as participants and spectators were
anticipating a surprising upset from one of these two upstarts.
Adding to this excitement was the interesting fact that all four
teams were still undefeated with each team boasting perfect 5-0
records. The other semifinal pitted the San Fran Saints versus Washington CYC. Both teams started out by playing tremendous defense and this attributed to the low scoring halftime score of only 26-15. However, it was evident from the outset that the San Fran Saints were the more polished of the two teams as it was not their first time competing in a semifinal game of the National tournament. But this didn't stop the CYC team from thinking upset special. Only problem was Washington couldn't find a way to stop the inside play of the bigger Saints team. Midway through the second half, the Saints increased their double-digit lead and went onto a 47-31 victory. Leading the way for the SF Saints was Ryan Nakamura with 13 pts. and Dieu Vuong with 10 pts. Washington CYC was led by the scoring of Keith Wang (12 pts) and Jeff Lee (8 pts). The script was set. Once again advancing to the Championship game was none other than the perennial favorites and long time rivals, Los Angeles R&K Little Horse and the San Francisco Saints. In their last meeting at the 1998 Finals (Philadelphia), the Saints defeated the Little Horse by racing to a double-digit lead and eventually coasted to victory. All weekend long, the signs pointed to the same outcome as the Saints preliminary round draw paired them with other playoff hopefuls-San Francisco Duke, San Francisco E&O Jade Arhatz, Philly Suns and the Boston Knights. Without a doubt, this was one of the tougher groups in preliminary play. This didn't faze the Saints as they advanced into the championship without a defeat. The Little Horse also entered the championship game without a blemish on their record. With only two players that were over six foot (6'1" Brad Au and 6'5" Ken Li), the remainder of the team ranged from 5'5" to 5'11". One can say they were undersized, but the Little Horse team went into their games with a "business as usual attitude". The moment was finally here. You can feel the excitement in the stands as the crowd eagerly awaited the tip-off of this Championship Game. Los Angeles opened up the by banging a trey while the Saints settled for the conventional two-pointer. It was an omen of sorts as the Little Horse continued their 3-point assault by connecting on five 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of the game and jumping out to a 22-14 lead. By halftime, the Little Horse had increased their lead to 12 points, 38-26 as they netted a record setting seven 3-pointers. To make matters worse, the Saints were struggling on the offensive end as numerous shot attempts went in but ultimately rimmed out. As the final 20 minutes of the second half was about to begin, you can feel the sense of urgency on the eyes of the Saints. In order for them to trim the lead they had to play some serious defense in the second half. They didn't disappoint the enormous crowd. The defensive pressure put on by the Saints was astounding as they completey took the Little Horse out of their offensive patterns. At the same time, the Saints were pecking away at the 12-point margin. With seven minutes left in the game, the lead had been slashed in half. The excitement of the crowd grew louder with every possession. From this point on, both teams knew that the game would be won at the free throw line. With no shot clock, L.A. had all the time in the world as they patiently moved the ball around on the offensive end. But this time the strategy worked against them as the comfortable lead they held in the first half faded slowly. Point guards Benny Hoang (L.A.) and Brian Jang (San Fran)
were playing brilliantly as they controlled the flow of the game
for their respective teams. They were dishin and swishin like
some of the NBA stars of today. With less than one minute remaining,
the Saints had trimmed the lead to one point after a couple of
free throws by Ryan Nakamura and the Little Horse with possession
of the ball. With time ticking down, the Saints had to foul and
send their opponent to the line. They fouled guard Benny Hoang
who calmy sank two free throws to give L.A. a three-point lead.
With San Fran calling timeout and only fifteen seconds remaining,
you could feel the emotional strain of the players as they hurried
into their team's huddle. The question amongst the electrified
crowd was will San Fran take a 3-pointer to tie the game or do
they go for the quick two-point basket and then foul immediately?
The Saints inbounded the ball to point guard Brian Jang. As he
maneuvers up the court, the crowd eagerly awaits his next move.
As the clock ticked down, 8, 7, 6, Brian pulled up for a three-pointer
at the top of the key. The shot looked good on his release but
bounced off the back of the rim along with the hopes of the San
Francisco Saints. There would be no repeat this year as the Los
Angeles R&K Little Horse defeated the Saints 51-48 and lay
claim to the title of NATIONAL CHAMPIONS in 1999. TOURNAMENT MVP:BENNY HOANG (Los Angeles R&K Little Horse) (2nd from right) ALL TOURNEY TEAM:JOE DIEP (Los Angeles R&K Little Horse) (3rd from right); RYAN NAKAMURA (San Francisco Saints) (4th from right); CHRIS LEE (Washington CYC) (2nd from left in red) Congratulations to all the teams who participated in the 19th edition of the North American Chinese Basketball Association National Basketball Championships. Good Luck and see you all in TORONTO - YEAR 2000
NY Titans
Capture Inaugural Men's Senior 30-over NACBA Championships Heading into the semifinals, the Titans had not yet been tested. But this was going to change, as they were about to face local favorites, the NY Fishmen (average age 40-over) (seeded third after the preliminaries). The battled tested Fishmen had high hopes coming into the tournament and were ready to upset the much bally-hooed Titans. The first half went the way of the Titans as they led 17-11 led by the magnificent play of Beaver Ho (7 pts.). But this wasn't your typical Titan basketball game. The Fishmen were playing a physical brand of basketball that the younger Titans hadn't been accustomed to. Points in the paint were hard to come by as the Fishmen big men more than held there own. With a sense of urgency in his halftime pep talk, Coach Johnny Han of the Titans implored his team to turn up their defensive pressure and to focus on the job at hand. The second half opened with a bang as the Titans unleashed its patented full court pressing defense which had been so useful in earlier round games. Right away the lead mushroomed to fifteen and you could feel the momentum change into the hands of the formidable Titans. The turnovers kept mounting on the Fishmen as they couldn't advance the ball into the front court. The final result 49-19 in favor of the Titans. Leading the way for the Titans, Beaver Ho (16 pts), and Gary Mar (8 pts). Pacing the Fishmen, Wing Lau (6 pts) and Ken Wong (7 pts). In the other semifinal match, the surprising NY/NJ Suburbanite Rockits (seeded #2 after the preliminary round) tipped it off against the Montreal Mynix (seeded #6 after the preliminaries). The Mynix had advanced to the semifinal game by upsetting #3 seed, the NY Cruisers. Their confidence level was at its highest level as they hoped to stage another upset by knocking off the Rockits. But this was not the case as the Rockits didn't plan on taking the Mynix lightly. As soon as the game began, the Rockits jumped all over the older Mynix team and took a 9-0 lead. Led by the speed and shooting of Jimly Chong and Kirk Lloyd, the Rockit guards were just unstoppable. Throw in the stellar play of big man, Anthony Don, and the Rockits were on their way to a fifteen-point halftime lead. Staying focused at halftime with a convincing lead is hard but Coach Leo Hirata of the Rockits assured his players that the game was not over. He stressed the importance of playing tough defense so that any momentum that the Mynix could sustain would be short lived. The second half opened with the Rockits best player, Jimly Chong picking up his fourth foul. The tide seemed to turn a little as the lead shrank to fewer than ten points with less than ten minutes remaining. Guards Kirk Lloyd and Eddie Shieh had controlled the tempo of the game beautifully thus far by being patient on the offensive end. With only three minutes remaining, the lead had been cut to five points. Jimly had already fouled out and the Rockits were sputtering just a little. But in the end, the Rockits prevailed by a score of 49-40. Leading the way for the Rockits was Anthony Don (10 points, 10 rebounds), Jimly Chong (10 pts), Kirk Lloyd (8 pts) and tournament coordinator, Denny Lee (10 pts). The stage was set for a battle for the first Senior 30-over Chinese National Championship. The highly favored NY TITANS were facing the surprising NY/NJ Suburbanite Rockits. It was a familiar scene of sorts, as these two teams had met many times previously in their glory days. After the game time introductions, both teams met at half court to start the game. The Rockits won the tap but turned the ball over immediately after. With Tony Pau (All-Tournament selection) leading the way at point guard, the Titans jumped out to a convincing double-digit lead 17-4 just minutes into the game. The Rockits decided to turn to their go to guy, Jimly Chong (All-Tournament selection). Throughout the tournament, Jimly had carried the scoring burden for the Rockits and this was the time for him to shine. With a renewed spirit, the Rockits began to shoot their way back into the game. On two consecutive possessions, Jimly netted two jumpers. The momentum was slowly turning in favor of the Rockits. With two minutes left in the first half, the Rockits were only down by seven points. The Titans were missing on the offensive end and the crowd was cheering for the underdog Rockits team. Both teams turned the ball over on their ensuing possessions and with less than 45 seconds left the Rockits decided to hold for one last shot. As time counted down, Kirk Lloyd found himself with the ball on the left wing. With less than 10 seconds remaining, Kirk faked the drive, pulled up for jumper and was fouled on the way up. The shot went through the basket as the crowd cheered mightily. Kirk converted the free throw as the Rockits completed the first half of play down by only 4 points, 25-21. This was going to be a game after all. No team had trailed the Titans but this little in any of their previous games. The Rockits felt confident that they could compete for the championship in the second half. But this excitement that was present at the end of the first half was short-lived. Disturbed by there sloppy play in the first half, the Titans was once again opened up the second half with a 10-0 spurt. It proved too much for the Rockits. The lead mushroomed to twenty as both teams emptied the benches. Tony Pau (12 pts) , Beaver Ho (12 pts), and Rich Lo (7 pts) led the way for the newly crowned champions. For the Rockits, Kirk Lloyd netted 8 pts, with Jimly Chong and Denny Lee scoring 7 pts each, respectively. FINAL THOUGHTS Coverage of the First North American Asian
Women’s Basketball Championship
These girls are not your mom’s China dolls. In fact, there’s nothing porcelain about them. They can run, jump, rebound, shoot, dribble, steal and block. They’ve been waiting to show their stuff for years. And their opportunity finally came during the past Memorial Day Weekend when 49 teams met at Seton Hall University for the 19th North American Chinese Asian Basketball Tournament. Hosted by the New York Rockits Athletes in Action, New York Cruisers, United East Athletic Association and Seton Hall University, this year’s tournament inaugurated several new divisions. Besides the Lady’s Elite, the Hoop Dream (15-under) and Men’s Senior (30-over) divisions were added. For Denny Lee, tournament co-coordinator and president of the Rockits, the expansion was a dream come true. Lee, a basketball enthusiast, also coaches the New York Rockits. Basketball is more that a sport, according to Lee. It’s a way to get kids off the street and stay in school. By extending the invitation to women and older and younger men, Lee envisions that basketball will have a greater positive impact on the Chinese Asian community. (Click here to read more about Denny Lee) Thanks to Lee’s effort, Cheryl Wang was able compete in this year’s tournament. For years, she sat and watched the boys played basketball. This year, it was Cheryl who shined on the court and took the gold home. Her team, the Washington Lady CYC, won 1st place in the Lady’s Elite Division. Cheryl Wang was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). Five women’s teams competed in the first-ever North American Asian Women’s Basketball Championship. Besides the Washington Lady CYC, the other teams were the Boston Lady Freemason, Toronto Lady CCYAA, New York Lady Cruisers, and United East Lady AA of New York. On the first day of the play-off, the girls from the North seemed unstoppable. The Toronto girls dressed in blue and had tattoos. This only non-USA team was simply awesome. They wowed the spectators with their quick feet and skilled ball handling. They practically shut out every team that came their way and could take on the American girls (and guys) any time. But it was an American team that stole the gold from the Canadians. The girls from the U.S. capital called themselves the China Dolls. But don’t be fooled by the name, these dolls were no pushovers. They met Toronto in the finals and beat the Canadians by 2 points. By playing excellent defense and shooting perfect jump shots, the Washington ladies held Toronto to only six points in the second half. Lee Anne Chong, captain of the Toronto team, credits Washington coach Alan Wang for making a difference in the final game. "At the end of the first half we had about a 10 -12 point lead mainly because we were able to capitalize on Washington’s mistakes. However the second half proved to be different. I have to give credit to their coach for changing their defense from a zone setup to man-to-man. I think that was the difference in the game. I would like to congratulate Washington on their win." Chong also points to Toronto’s lack of experience in playing as a team. CCYAA, which stands for Canadian Chinese Youth Athletic Association, recruited players for the women’s team on the Internet and put the team together 6 weeks prior to the tournament. Surprisingly, they got a group of highly skilled women’s basketball players. In fact, Toronto players Stephanie Chau & Christine Vuong own the bragging rights to represent the city of Toronto in the Year 2000 NBA 2ball All Star Game. While the Toronto ladies are disappointed with the tournament outcome, they are determined to improve as a team. Chong hopes that more Asian women will get involved in the game of basketball and thanks tournament organizers for the opportunity for women to play. For Alan Wang, this year’s victory is indeed sweet. He’s not only the championship team’s coach. He is also dad to two members of the winning team. Daughter Cheryl is the MVP. Basketball is a Wang family tradition. He is proud that his daughters are continuing the family legacy. His brothers, brother-in-laws, sons and now daughters and nieces all play for the Washington teams. He also coached the first pre-National Chinese Asian Basketball Championship team. "I hope that with sponsorship and encouragement, girls’ basketball will become as big as girls’ volleyball. These tournaments have been a great outlet for the boys for years and I hope the same thing will happen for the girls. I have made life long friends at these tournaments that I would never have had the opportunity to if not for the tournaments," says Wang. Cheryl Wang agrees that this tournament is not about winning. "The experiences gained at this tournament are ones that go beyond the joys of victory. I know, for a fact, that the CYC China Dolls learned more than just about playing the game of basketball. We learned, more importantly, about friendship, pride, togetherness, desire, and the importance of supporting one another! The opportunity we had to play in this tournament is not only good for all women, but it is a chance to compete and experience something that men have been able to participate in for years. Like many other women, when I found out that there was going to be a women’s division, I was so excited! Now, I didn’t just have to sit there and watch the men play a sport that I love to play! This tournament is an excellent way to support Chinese and Asian men and women in athletics." ******* FamilyCulture.com is a proud sponsor of the 19th Annual NACBA Chinese Asian National Basketball Championships. We congratulate all winners and participants, their family and friends, and supporters. Special thanks to Denny Lee and all tournament organizers for allowing us to be part of this great event. For more photos and coverage of the tournament, please click here. For tournament results, go to Asianhoops.com. The Year 2000 Tournament will be held in Toronto. Rockits
Triumph at RPI Tournament Tournament With a team consisting of players from the Men's Elite team and the University (college aged) team, the Rockits went undefeated (5-0) and played brilliantly throughout the tournament. Led by the surprising play of point guard Kevin Chung (University team and a member of the Baruch College varsity), the Rockits were well on their way to double digit leads in all their games. Also contributing during the tournament, was none other than University Rockits coach, Eddie Shieh, whose veteran leadership and all-out hustle made my job as a coach that much easier. Rutgers B reached the championship game by narrowly defeating the Rutgers A team, 46-39. This was shocker as Rutgers A had held a 4-1 edge in head to head matchups against their on campus rivals. In the other semifianl, the Rockits upended the X-men, 42-39. Once again, the Rockits employed their version of the Kentucky Trap and forced the X-men to 15 turnovers. The consolation game came down to the wire between the X-Men and Rutgers A. In the end, the X-Men came out on top by stopping a last shot effort by Rutgers A to an exciting win. (X-Men: 50, Rutger's A: 47). 1999
2nd Annual Winter Baskeball Classics The Men's AAA division saw the New York Rockits go undefeated throughout the tournament as they defeated the Philadelphia Warriors by a score of49-44 in the championship game. The narrow margin of victory was indicative of the way the game was played as both teams struggled offensively after a playing in four previous contests earlier in the day. Early on it seemed that the Rockits had left their A game behind. The Warriors jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead as the Rockits had trouble executing against the zone defense. After a quick time out, the Rockits came out energized and created a few easy baskets thanks to their stifling man to man defense. As usual, the guard tandem of Ed Lau and Tony Wong created havoc for the Warriors team. Offensively, they both had a passion for passing the ball and setting up their teammates. Defensively, they were much quicker than their opponents as they consistently cut off passing lanes and recorded numerous steals. By halftime, the Rockits had taken a slim 22-20 lead. The second half saw both teams exchange baskets frequently with the Rockits always clinging onto a 3 to 7 point margin. With the game always within the reach of the Warriors, the Rockits decided that patience would pay off in the long run. Each time down the court, the Rockits spread out the defense before attacking the basket. The plan worked as the Rockits connected on numerous easy lay ups and short jumpers. In the end, the Rockits inside tandem of Victor Fung, Jeff Chin, Ed Chan and Ken Lee proved too much for the fatigued Warriors. These four gave their opponents a clinic on the art of the high post, low post game. It was a thing of beauty as they consistently connected on easy baskets. With another long tournament day coming to a close, we would like to thank all those players who helped with the refereeing and scorekeeping. A special welcome to the New York Cabots organization, who were represented by three teams at this tournament. It marked their debut in the New York/New Jersey Asian basketball circuit. Good Luck in the future to coach David Rha and the Cabots!! SUNS
- Shine at Rutgers University Tournament Seeded #4 in the playoff round, the Suns dispatched of the host team Rutgers KSA (#5 seed) by a margin of 12 points before taking on the #1 seed, Albany Tribe in the semifinals. Tired and battered, the Suns miraculously upset the #1 seeded Albany Tribe 50-47. The Tribe had advanced into the playoff round by thrashing their opponents in the round robin preliminaries by an average margin of 15 points per game. But trouble loomed on the horizon, as the Tribe had difficulty during their first round game against the #8 seeded Rutgers CSO, winning by only one point. Believing that the tribe could be beat, the Suns jumped out to a commanding ten-point lead which they held throughout the game until the final two minutes of the game. The Tribe clawed their way back into the game under the hot shooting of Jon Park who nailed a couple of treys to pull them within three with 55 seconds left. But it was too little too late as free throws by Brian Chu and San Mac sealed the victory. The NY Rockits journey to the Championship took a different path. Seeded #2 in the playoff round, the Rockits were thoroughly surprised by the outstanding play of the #7 seeded U. Penn team in the quarterfinals. The first half saw the U. Penn team hit a remarkable six three pointers on their way to a six point halftime lead. In the second half, a different story started to unfold as the taller and bigger Rockits began to dominate offensively on the inside. With three minutes remaining in the game, the Rockits had five-point lead but were well aware of the three point antics of the U. Penn team. For the remainder of the game, the Rockits played a suffocating man to man defense and didn't allow the U. Penn team any good looks from beyond the 3-point arc and held on to win by nine points. For the record, the U. Penn team hit an astonishing eight treys in the game and played brilliantly against a more experienced Rockits team. After a fifteen-minute rest period, the Rockits met the up and coming NY Cruisers in the other semifinal. The game began with the Rockits jumping out to a quick ten-point lead on their way to a 20-point victory margin. The victory didn't tell the whole story as both teams were competing in their fifth game of day. Fatigue definitely took its toll on the Cruisers as they decided not to play the consolation game and awarded the Albany Tribe with the 3rd place trophy. The stage was finally set for the championship game between the Philadelphia Suns and the NY Rockits. These two teams had met earlier in the day (preliminaries) with the Rockits defeating the Suns by 15 in a turnover laden game. But in a championship game, it's a one game elimination for all the marbles. The early stages of the game was set as the Rockits jumped out to an early 13-2 lead just minutes into the game led by the play of Tom Yih (2 treys). In order to stop the momentum, the Suns called for a timeout. Upon their return to the court, you could see that the Suns weren't going to just lay down and die. They put together a run of their own to closed the gap, 18-16. But just as fast as you can say wassup, Tom sank two more treys and the Rockits led at the half 28-20. Emotionally, the faces on the players from both teams looked tired and spent. But we knew that coach Harry Leong wouldn't let his team give up. Immediately, the Suns scored eight unanswered points to tie the game, 28-28. The next ten minutes saw both teams struggle on the offensive and defensive ends with neither gaining an advantage. With three minutes remaining, the Rockits led 40-34 and looked as if they were on their way claiming their first championship of the 98-99 season. Once again, the Suns clawed their way back into the game as the Rockits couldn't capitalize on three straight offensive possessions (traveling violation @ 2:20, missed layup @ 1:15, and finally missed 1 and 1 with 12 seconds remaining). With the score 44-43 and 12 seconds remaining, the Rockits were up one with a chance increase their lead with Jimmy Li at the free throw line shooting a one and one. A clutch foul shooter as anyone, luck just wasn't on the side of Jimmy and the Rockits as he missed the shot. The Suns grabbed the rebound and immediately passed the ball to their speedy point guard San Mac on the left side of the half court line. San penetrated and drove to the basket looking for a layup. At the last moment, Victor Fung of the Rockits blocked his path to the basket to take the charge. As the whistle blew, both teams were looking for the call - Suns wanting a blocking call and the Rockits wanting a offensive charge call. The referee called blocking much to the dismay of the Rockits. San and the Suns were going to shoot two free throws with 4 seconds remaining. This wasn't the case as San was too shaken up from the previous play to attempt the free throws. Not knowing what to do, the Rockits requested that their player/coach Harry Leong shoot the free throws. After not playing in any of the previous four games until the championship, Harry calmly stepped to the line and swished in both attempts to give the Suns the lead and the game 45-44. Congratulations to Harry and the Suns as they captured the first championship of the 98-99 season. ROCKITS
Take Two in 1st Summer Nights League NIGHT SEVEN - CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT - Wednesday, September 2, 1998 Game 1 Men's AA Championship: Men's AA Championship Game Highlights: FINAL STANDINGS - MEN'S AA DIVISION Game 2 Men's AAA Championship: Men's AAA Championship Game Highlights: FINAL STANDINGS - MEN'S AAA DIVISION CCCNJ
THREE-PEAT in Church League Championship
CCCNJ and QUEENS CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE CHURCH ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL: CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE CHURCH SEMIFINAL - Game 1 - August 17, 1998 at the Chinatown YMCA -- CCCNJ 37, GRACE FAITH 32; CCCNJ: Denny Lee 9, William Dong 6, Victor Tang 6; Grace Faith: Warren Chin 13, Jordan Eng 5 Playing in their third straight final four, CCCNJ (Chinese Christian Church of New Jersey) advance to the Championship game by narrowly defeating Grace Faith Church by a score of 37-32. As the league favorite to three-peat, CCCNJ might have went into this semifinal matchup against Grace Faith a little too confident. Grace Faith Church played a magnificent game throughout only to succumb to the veteran abilities of CCCNJ. From the outset, you could see that the team from Grace Faith Church were pumped and ready to take it to the two time champions. Led by Warren Chin (13 pts), Grace Faith jumped out to an early 11-4 as their stifling defense surprised CCCNJ. But like any championship caliber team, CCCNJ settled down and came storming back thanks to two treys courtesy of co-captain William Dong. By halftime, CCCNJ had retaken the lead and led by two 19-17. You could tell that both teams were struggling on the offensive end caused mainly by the intensity of the defensive pressure. Everyone in the packed gym knew that the second half would be much of the same. When the second half begun, CCCNJ began to turn up the pressure on defense. They knew they had to stop Warren from getting any good looks at the basket. Thanks to defensive pressure of guard Anthony Chung and the helping man to man defense, the team from Grace Faith connected on only two field goals in the entire second half. But the game was much closer than that as the lead never got to more than six points. With 7:40 remaining, CCCNJ led 28-25. No matter what CCCNJ did, they couldn't pull away from the stubborn Grace Faith team. The remainder of the game saw both teams exchanging points on their offensive end. Scoring for CCCNJ was Denny Lee (9 pts) with a two pointer and a trey in addition to the clutch free throws by John Ho and Ed Chan. Grace Faith scored their points at the free throw line courtesy of Warren Chin, Jason Eng, and Jordan Eng. Both teams played their hearts out with CCCNJ winning this battle. CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE CHURCH SEMIFINAL - Game 2 - August 17, 1998 at the Chinatown YMCA; QCAC 56, OCM 43; QCAC: Serge Causito 15, Ping Villegas 11, Andrew Ling 11; OCM: Dokin Tom 12, Sam Kong 12 The second semifinal of the night saw former three time champions, QCAC (Queens Christian Alliance Church) defeat a young up and coming team from OCM (Overseas Chinese Mission), 56-43. QCAC had played brilliantly thus far as evidenced by their 15 point per game average margin of victory. The addition of 3-point shooting specialist Serge Causito and Ping Villegas added a new dimension to their already strong team. As for OCM, they had struggled somewhat throughout the league but always managed to eke out a victory. You could tell that they were missing the point guard leadership abilities of teammate Tony Wong was on a church mission in Macau, Hong Kong. Right from the get-go, QCAC established their running game and jumped out to a quick 15-5 lead led by the play of Neequaye Williams (4 pts, 3 blocks) and Serge Causito (15 pts, 3 treys). OCM tried desperately to trim the deficit but were unsuccessful as leading scorer, Dokin Tom was held scoreless in the first half. It was fortunate that Sam Kong (center - 12 pts) scored nine points to keep his team within striking distance. At halftime, QCAC held a convincing 33-16 lead. It was time for the OCM players to show that they belonged in this game. Dokin Tom had to step up and this he did as he sank four treys in the second half. But to no avail, they couldn't narrow the lead as QCAC continued to play strongly on both ends of the court. The play of Andrew Ling (11 pts) and Ping J. (11 pts) helped to defeat the team from OCM.  3-TIME CHAMPIONS: CCCNJ CHINESE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF NEW JERSEY CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE CHURCH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP - August 18, 1998 at the Chinatown YMCA; CCCNJ 49, QCAC 44; CCCNJ: Denny Lee 13, Victor Tang 9, Jack Ma 8; QCAC: Serge Causito 15, Ping J. 13, Wai Hung Ma 11 The Chicago Bulls did it first but now CCCNJ (Chinese Christian Church of New Jersey) can stake its claim to fame as a three-peat champion as they captured their third straight Church League Championship by defeating the team from QCAC (Queens Christian Alliance Church) by a score of 49-44. It was game to remember as the defending two time champions, CCCNJ had to battle back from a seven point halftime deficit to secure their place in church league basketball history. It was evident from the start that the crowd favorite was none other than QCAC. The team was younger and faster and they were ready to dethrone the team from CCCNJ. CCCNJ had struggled in the previous night's semifinal matchup against Grace Faith Church and some were thinking that maybe their age (average age of team was over thirty) was catching up to them. After winning the tip, QCAC opened up the game by scoring the first eight points. Making matters worse was the stifling 2-3 matchup zone that they were playing. This definitely rattled the CCCNJ team on offense as they had to extend much further than they wanted too. In addition, QCAC's Serge Causito went on a tear and recorded 12 points (5-7 fg, 2 treys) in the first half. At halftime, QCAC had a 27-21 lead. Once again, CCCNJ had played a very poor first half and were fortunate to be only down by six points. CCCNJ knew they had to speed up the game in the second half and this was accomplished by applying constant pressure on the ballhandlers of QCAC. The trio of Anthony Chung, William Dong and John Ho stepped up big time on the defensive end by forcing four consecutive turnovers from the smaller QCAC players. John also contributed on the offensive end by nailing a trey and a two point fg to lead the comeback. Even Jack Ma, the youngest player on the team contributed by scoring on two consecutive offensive possessions by following up misses by his teammates. The quicker lineup that CCCNJ utilized had worked as they stormed back to take a 33-32 lead with eight minutes left in regulation. In the next three minutes, both teams failed to score before Denny Lee (13 pts, 2-2 trey) nailed a trey to give CCCNJ a 36-32 lead. It was a lead that they never relinquished. QCAC fought on bravely as they rushed the ball up court looking to score quickly in hopes of saving time on the clock. But with each field goal made by QCAC, CCCNJ followed by connecting at the free throw line. Victor Tang, John Ho, and Mike Chin each sank important free throws in the final minutes as CCCNJ survived to win their third straight Church League Championship. CONSOLATION GAME RESULTS: GRACE FAITH 56, OCM 40; Grace Faith: Jason Eng 18, Jordan Eng 10, Warren Chin 7; Paul Lam 12, Garrick Young 10, Dokin Tom 7 EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Congratulations to all the teams that participated in the Christian Alliance Church Summer Basketball League. Once again, it was wonderful having the opportunity to play basketball and share the word of God. A special thanks must also be given to Jack Lau and his staff of volunteers for all the effort and work they put into making this summer league a success. THANK YOU, GOD BLESS YOU AND SEE YOU ALL NEXT YEAR!!!
Second
Annual New York Asian Basketball Classic A Success On Saturday, the Men's Open Classic saw the NY TITANS stun the defending champion-NY Rockits in the Championship game by a score of 52-44. Tournament MVP, Gary Tsang, was outstanding in the championship game as he tallied a game-high 26 points to lead all scorers. Leading throughout the entire game, the NY TITANS employed a stingy defense and a patient offensive passing attack to avenge an earlier loss to the Rockits in the preliminary round. Guard Tony Pau also played exceptionally well in solving the full court press of the Rockits. Coach Leo Lee of the Titans was ecstatic about the victory but was still showing concerns about the team's readiness for the Chinese National Tournament in Philadelphia in May. The Men's Open Classic wasn't the only championship game of the day as the YOUNG LIONS captured the first ever University Championships (22-under) in a hotly contested game against the Young Life Rockits. The YOUNG LIONS were led by the stellar play of Patrick Pilar (Hunter College varsity recruit-upcoming season) and Champ Albano. Both players are also members of the highly successful S.I.P.A.G. (Staten Island Philipino American Group) basketball team. Back to the game, the lead exchanged hands over 15 times as both teams struggled to take control of the game. C.B. Liu of the Young Life Rockits kept his team close by connecting on four first half three-pointers. At halftime, the Young Lions led by five points 25-20. The second half started out with a bang as the Rockits went on a 14-5 run to take a four-point lead with David Yun (guard) and Kevin Chin (center) playing with a renewed purpose. The lead was short lived though as Patrick and Champ rallied their team by dominating on both ends of the court. With four minutes remaining, the Lions once again held a five-point lead. But this time, the young Rockits team couldn't mount a comeback as they committed some costly turnovers at the most inopportune time. When it was all said and done the YOUNG LIONS came away with there first championship. Fishmen Put Their Hooks on Big Wong No other team exemplified this brand of basketball better than the Fishmen. Coached by Paul Gong, the team consists primarily of players 40-over that still love to play the game of basketball. Chinese basketball stars of the past on this team include Danny Chong, Paul Wong, Ramon Wong, Ken (Monkey) Chan, and Lenny (Chin) Dong. The remaining players on the roster are no slouches either as they can all still PLAY THE GAME. After recording their first two victories of the day by an average winning margin of 25 points, it was assumed that they would easily handle whoever their opponent would be in the championship game. They were mistaken as Big Wong, the other finalist wasn't going to be embarrassed. Manager/player Allan Wong convinced his team that they could win if they concentrated their efforts on playing tenacious defense. Big Wong executed this game plan perfectly and at halftime the score read Fishmen ahead 14-8. The second half mirrored the first half as both teams continued to struggle offensively. With 1 minute remaining, Big Wong had the ball and was down by only three points. An upset seemed possible as the game was coming to a close. But all was lost as Big Wong committed a costly turnover and had to foul immediately in order to stop the clock. The pressure was on the Fishmen to make their free throws and that they did. The final score had the Fishmen victorious, by a score of 32-27. Final Thoughts The
Eighth Annual 1998 World Journal Basketball Tournament -- Fishmen
Wins Fifth Straight Title WarLords REPEAT!!
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