Even though they are already out of the playoff race, the CLS Knights went out to prove that they can still compete with the top teams of the league.
The Knights managed to pull out a 65-64 road victory at the expense of the Singapore Slingers on Sunday at the OCBC Arena.
The win was a breather for the Knights who have lost their five previous games. Their last defeat at the hands of the Saigon Heat left a sting as they were booted out of the playoff race. But despite the losing season, the Knights came out aggressive against the playoff bound Slingers.
Four CLS players finished in double-figures with Shane Edwards leading the way with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.
“Hats off to my team. Everybody came in and contributed and played unselfish,” Edwards said after the game. “We just grinded it out today. Proud of my guys.”
Keith Jensen added 15 points while Freddie Lish contributed 11 points and 5 assists. World Import Brian Williams chipped in with a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards but was limited with foul trouble.
“You still got to play hard. You have to play smart. You still have to defend,” Edwards credited Williams for playing through. “You can’t play iffy even if you have four fouls.”
A huge shot by Arif Hidayat gave the Knights a slim two-point lead with 2:30 remaining in the game. That basket however turned out to be the last made field goal by either squad.
Delvin Goh split his chances at the charity stripe and made it into a one-point game, 65-64, with a minute and a half left in the contest. His miss at the foul line proved critical with his team failing to convert in the endgame.
The climax of the game was a crazy back-and-forth sequence in the last 30 seconds as both the Slingers and Knights desperately tried to secure the basketball. In the end, the Knights were awarded the possession. With 16 seconds left on the clock, the Slingers were not able to foul any of the Knights players as time ran out.
The Knights have three games left on their schedule as they hope to end their season on a positive note.
“Our goal is to finish the season strong. It’s our jobs as professionals to go out hard,” Edwards closed.
