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Host Indonesia struggling in preliminaries
Too strong: Jamarr Andre Johnson of Indonesia dribbles down the court among South Korean players during their men’s basketball preliminary round match in Hall A of the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday
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oo strong: Jamarr Andre Johnson of Indonesia dribbles down the court among South Korean players during their men’s basketball preliminary round match in Hall A of the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday. Indonesia lost 65-104. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
The Asian Games will officially open on Saturday, but Indonesian teams have already blooded themselves in their quest for gold medals, seeing a win and a loss in women’s handball and men’s basketball 5x5, respectively, on Tuesday.
The Indonesian women’s handball team defeated Malaysia 23-15 in their opening Group B match at the POPKI Sports Hall in Cibubur, East Jakarta, with Lia Apriliani topscoring with seven goals.
Indonesia made four points from six and was given 7-meter throws throughout the match.
Indonesia’s confidence after winning the first half showed, allowing the players to stay on the offensive against Malaysia.
Indonesia’s coach, Abdul Kadir, said he was impressed by his players’ performance who showed significant improvement as a team.
“[The players], however, still have to work on their technical skills, especially in basic drives such as passing and catching,” Abdul said in a post-match interview. “They also have to hone their ability [to successfully execute a play] because it has become their main drawback.”
Indonesian team captain Dwi Putri Merdekawati admitted that her teammates were still nervous about competing in the Games. Luckily, we have each other to cheer us up, she added.
Indonesia is in second position behind leaders Japan in Group B. Japan defeated Thailand 41-16 earlier in the day.
Indonesia will face Thailand next.
Abdul said he would not burden the team with high expectations as they would be facing a tough team. Nevertheless, he hoped that the team would be solid in defense to hold off Thailand in their second match on Thursday.
In an earlier match, South Korea beat rivals North Korea 39-22 as dozens of spectators wearing Unified Korean T-shirts cheered them on.
On the second day of the handball competition, the organizers received various complaints from participating teams, especially about the warm-up arena and changing rooms, which they claimed were below international standards.
“Overall, the venue [POPKI Hall] is quite good, but it is below the standards to host international events,” said venue manager Imron Amarta.
In the men’s handball competition on Monday, Indonesia lost 40-17 to Hong Kong.
Elsewhere, the Indonesian men’s basketball team suffered a 104-65 loss to defending champion South Korea in a Group A preliminary match at the basketball hall in the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday.
South Korea swept to victory in all four quarters — 28-18, 25-13, 27-14 and 24-20.
Playing in front of 2,000 cheering fans, Indonesia adopted a hard-hitting offensive strategy.
“We have to improve our rebound and defense,” player Andakara Prastawa Dhyaksa said after the match.
Unite States-born Jamarr Andre Johnson, a naturalized player, produced several three-point shots as well as successful rebounds with perfect layups. He also supported his teammates with some assists.
Defeat in the first quarter pushed the red-and-white team to be more aggressive in the second. With Jamarr and Arki Dikania Wisnu shining, Indonesia tried to rise to South Korea’s level, but failed miserably.
“It wasn’t an easy match for us […] but we have to remain optimistic,” said Indonesia’s coach, Fictor Roring. “South Korea is the favorites in the Games. It has been a strong team in Asia for years.”
On the South Korean side, naturalized player Ricardo Preston Ratliffe played a significant role in the win. Preston, who is 2.03 meters tall, chipped in with 30 points for his country, made 13 defensive rebounds, six offensive rebounds and six assists.
In the next group stage matches, Indonesia will face Thailand on Aug. 20 and Mongolia on Aug. 25.
“Every team has a different style and we apply different strategies to each opponent,” said Arki, the key player in Indonesia’s top club Satria Muda Pertamina.
In other matches, Chinese Taipei stunned Japan 71-65 in Group C, while Qatar overpowered Hong Kong 90-80. In Group A, Thailand defeated Mongolia 87-86.
Meanwhile, in the women’s basketball 5x5, Indonesia will face a joint Korean team on Wednesday. It will be a historical match with the visiting team making its debut in the Games.
