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Indonesian DBL All-Star teams rock American fields with titles in hand
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Christina Michelle Susanto (center) tries to penetrate the opponents' line. The women’s team won the final round with a tight score of 41-40. (The Jakarta Post/Courtesy of DBL Indonesia)
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nlike the Indonesian national team that is facing an uphill battle in its attempt to save a spot at the 2021 FIBA Asian Cup, the DBL All-Stars women’s team has sealed victory at a national tournament in California, while its men’s counterpart secured the runner-up position.
The tournament, the 5th edition of the annual DTermine Your Destiny event, was held on Sunday and attended by dozens of local clubs.
The women’s team defeated team Inland in the final round with the slightest of margins at 41-40. Jesslyn Angelique and Stephanie Wijaya were the top scorers during the match, each collecting 6 points.
Coach Atlini Mardlatika El Hassan praised her players, saying they had all been very disciplined in guarding their balls and penetrating the opponents’ line.
“The team has improved its accuracy. They [players] also paid attention when we asked them to take a large portion of their free time to rest during the tournament, as they need to play twice a day,” she said in a press statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Monday.
However, she added, the team needed to work harder to improve its capability to adapt, especially when competing abroad.
Forward Evelyn Fiyo said her team had displayed excellent coordination between team members during the final round.
“In terms of skills, our opponents may still be above us, but we manage to cover that up by displaying good and solid cooperation,” she said.
The men’s team took a different path as they met the SoCal Buzz team, which they had already met during the qualifiers. The final round was an anti-climax for the Indonesian team and was marked by protests from the host players and their supporters, which distracted the attention of the DBL All-Star men’s team.
The final ended with a score of 42-32, with the 10-point gap in favor of the SoCal Buzz.
Men’s team coach Dhimas Aniz acknowledged that the team’s focus had been heavily distracted by protests, mostly from supporters of the host team.
“We should dig deeper to find out what kind of strategies we can develop to avoid being trapped in such a heated situation in future matches,” he said.
The DBL student leagues has spread its wings and has gained wide popularity among students. Right now, it ranks second just below soccer in terms of the number of fans.
