2024-04-27 13:06:39

Around The League: March

2009.04.10 12:31


Will Wild Beasts remain win-less and miss playoffs?

Three months later, the playoff picture is getting clearer.

FLIGHT teams confirmed to make playoffs include T-REX, D.S.F., M.I.B. and SOUTHORN Tigers, while Photons, GRIZZ are soaring at the top with winngin streaks, and the competitive environment continues to grow in the rest of the FORCE division.

FLIGHT Division

M.I.B. (3-1) beat Wild Beasts and SOUTHORN Tigers for two straight wins in March and three straight overall, improved to 3-1 after losing the season debut. They still have a chance to reach the top two seed should they beat D.S.F. and Chung Sing in April and May.

After losing to M.I.B. in a 43-32 outing, SOUTHORN Tigers (3-2) beat Wild Beasts (0-4) 34-28 and become the latest team in the division that confirmed a playoff seat. If all top four teams played all their remaining games, i.e. no games lost by forfeit, Tigers is locked either 3rd or 4th in the Division due to match-up results, even they could win the final game before playoffs.

T-REX (4-1) defeat Challengers in a 29-23 victory and its top rank will only be challenged should they end up with the same points earned as D.S.F. since they lost the match-up between them.

Challengers (1-4), with a last-second victory over Chung Sing (1-3), will be able to secure a playoff berth should they beat Wild Beasts in their next game. If the three teams end up with the same result, the scores between their own match-up will detemine the final standing.

After winning the only game in March, a 46-30 win against Chung Sin, the unbeaten D.S.F. (4-0) will make sure they have a bye-week in first-round playoffs should they win at least one of the next two games.

FORCE Division

SAMURAI (1-3) lost it third straight games in March and dropped to 1-3, after losing 20-25 to G.T. Explorers (1-4) and let Trojans to comeback and edged them in a 32-30 outing. They will face two tough match-ups in H.F.C. and Dream Team in the rest of the schedule. If SAMURAI cannot win at least one of them, they might missed the playoffs since they would end up with the same points as Explorers even GTE lost also their final game against Dream Team.

Photons (4-0) is still unbeaten through March and the challenge from H.F.C. was just short to give them too much tough feeling. Harris Wong scored 15 points in the matchup, he and Photons continue to look like the team to beat this season.

H.F.C. (2-2) had a rough season in 2009, when they lost as many games as they won. Before they rout the 5-guard Explorers 55-33, H.F.C. lost 28-34 to Photons and failed to reach the 30-point mark the first time in team history since they join SBL.

Trojans (2-3) is another former champion team that was going through a rough season. They win and lose alternately and is only two-three with only one game left before the playoffs come. After a tough loss t GRIZZ, they came back to win in the final period against SAMURAI but was completely out-played by Dream Team in a 50-24 loss.

G.T. Explorers’ 25-20 win over SAMURAI will be crucial to their playoff hope. The win gave them a better result than SAMURAI and was ranked above them with one more game played at the end of the month.

GRIZZ (3-1) and Dream Team (2-2) had each one game only in the month and both took a victory.