The young and surging Chung Sing finally lost a game in 40 minutes when they met SOUTHORN Tigers, who lost three games in a row before this 42-40 victory which helped them to confirm a play-off berth finally.

Terence Chan (SOU #10) scored 11 points and seven rebounds and Wilson Chow (SOU #9) added 10 to secure Tigers’ ticket to the play-offs and the victory helped the team usually in red also to top the team in red in the evening for a 3rd place in FLIGHT Division ranking.

Without former M.I.B. Adrian Chou (DNP-Out of town), Tigers’ leading rebounder, and the runner-up in that field Ben Cheng (#33), another former player in black uniform, got only two off the glass, it was the two old Tigers big men who stepped up for a win.

Tigers did score the game’s first point, a free throw by Chi Wing Chow (#21), but struggle to find anything from the field for the start of the game. Meanwhile, Lok Ming Sin (SLM, CHU #3) swished two free throws which capped a 7-0 spurt for a six-point lead, turned out to be the biggest difference in this game, and Tigers needed a time-out.

The break looked working, as Tigers used a 6-0 run to finish the first period for a tie at 7-all.

Ben stole the ball from Elvin Tam (CHU #9) and dished to Benny Wong (#7) for a fast-break basket that put Tigers ahead 11-9. Both teams then exchanged baskets. Former Tigers Dennis Chang (CHU #4) assisted in all three field goals in the span including the last one to SLM that put Chung Sing to a lead again.

After Wilson tied the game with a free throw, Elvin swished a three-point shot and dished to Dennis later and Chung Sin looked to bring a 5-point lead into half-time. Only Wilson’s off-balanced three-point shot hit the back-board and went in that cut the deficit to only two for Tigers.

Benny’s three-pointer from the Wing tied the game again at 22-all and Ken Leung (SOU #14) hit a jumper near the base-line in Tigers’ next possession. Wilson drove to the basket for two points and concluded a 7-0 run which helped Tigers to take a 5-point advantage.

Chung Sing could tie the game again in the period but Patrick Tse (SOU#8) put back a miss from Terence to maintain a 5-point difference thru three periods.

Terence stole Evlin’s pass and dribble all the way for two points that extend the Tigers’ lead to 37-30 in the middle of the final period, but Chung Sing did not collapse, Tigers did.

After a wide-open three by SLM, Elvin hit another open shot near the baseline that cut the deficit to only two points, and SLM made one more long-range basket which put Chung Sing ahead 40-39.

After Benny tied the game with a free throw and Terence split another pair for a one-point lead again, Patrick was fouled with seven seconds left in the game, he missed the first free throw but made the next that put Tigers up 42-40 and Chung Sing called a time-out.

During the time-out, table scorers tried to clarify the scores to 44-40 but later clarified again which was wrong and resumed a 42-40. The situation spent a another time-out by the Tigers.

Lok Ming Sin grabbed the in-bound pass, dribbled to the base line for a desperate three-point shot for a win that hit only the front rim. He grabbed his own miss in the lane but his final, potential game-tying shot was well off the target at the buzzer .

Having lost to SAMURAI (1-4), which has one game left to play even after a loss to D.S.F. on the same day, SOUTHORN Tigers (3-3) are not confirmed with a play-off game until the end of this game as SAMURAI could have a chance to tie for a 2-4 otherwise.

Chung Sing lost another two games both in overtime.

SOUTHORN Tigers scored a total seven more points in three wins while averaged more than 13 points of deficit in three losses.

D.S.F. won on the same day and is also 3-3 in six games but ranked last among them.