Toughest game yet for Camerababy Elite

Hualien, Taiwan – October 13, 2011

Camerababy Elite Basketball Team faced KKL in this morning's opening match at Hualien Probation International Basketball Tournament. The Camerababy Elite had played against KKL few days ago in a friendly match, and won by 37 points. However, it appeared that this rematch was not as easy as last one for the Camerababy Elite due to KKL was more prepared for today’s match and they had some best players who didn’t play last time back to their lineup today. The game ended with 92-82. The Camerababy Elite had won a solid 10 points in this tough game.

“It was again a morning game, which we were still not very used to play games in the morning,” stated Coach Johnson. “Especially when we just landed Taiwan few days ago, we were still fighting with the jet lag.”

The game started out very fast-paced. The Camerababy Elite had the upper hand at initiating the attack and gained the first ten points unobstructed. Five minutes into the game, KKL changed players and heavy attacks ensued. At the end of first quarter, the score was an even 21-21.

The scores continue to stick close to each other throughout the second quarter. KKL took advantage of the language barrier to shout out all their strategies on court. The excellent communication among players aided KKL in their advance and they were leading for most of the second quarter. The quarter again ended with an even 42-42.

The Camerababy Elite started the third quarter with a more aggressive stance on the offense, in an attempt to break out of the sticky scores. This strategy backfired initially as the aggressiveness in movements resulted in several fouls and KKL gained eight points in free throws. The Camerababy Elite doubled up the effort on their defense to stabilize the game and then took a more controlled strategy with the offense. The result was telling as the Camerababy Elite broke out of the tie and finished 74-64 when the third quarter ended.

For the rest of the game, The Camerababy Elite continued the same strategy from third quarter. Players from both sides seemed to have become more enthusiastic as the game went on. The Camerababy Elite succeeded at keeping their high ground by playing the best defense yet. However, KKL also put up a tough fight, packing home an admirable 17 points in the last five minutes of the game.

Anthony Davis was the leading scorer of the Camerababy Elite with 18 points. Trayvon Lathan’s all-around performance was the winning factor. He had 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. Another two players who also scored in double digits are Jamaal Smith with 15 points and 8 assists, and Robert Curtis with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

“Everything here is totally different than the US,” commented Coach Johnson. “There are a lot of things we have to adjust, like the time zone, the weather, the food, the playing style, the FIBA rules, etc. I believe we will be better and better each day after we make the proper adjustment.”

Tomorrow will certainly be the toughest day for the Camerababy Elite due to that they will be playing two games in a day, and they will have to win both matches to advance to the semi-final of the tournament.