Basketball: Raiders down but not out

Despite a 41-point thumping at the hands of Indonesia, the Great Southern Raiders are still confident of securing a State Basketball League licence in the next two years.

Picture by Laurie Benson: The Raiders' Justin Benson takes on Indonesia's Mario Waysang

Playing a full-strength Indonesian outfit, the Raiders were outclassed from the beginning, going down 97-56 at the Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre on Sunday.

Indonesian point guard Amin Prihantono was awarded the game’s most valuable player after scoring 15 points, all of which were scored from beyond the arc.

Mario Wuysang added 14 points and was a tower of strength up forward while Ari Chandra finished with 12 points in a polished% display.

Raiders captain Justin Benson was their most potent player, finishing with a game-high 19 points and plenty of rebounds.

The Raiders outscored the visitors in the final term, with Brody Hickey, Benson and John Santia the main contributors.

Raiders head coach Greg Cowie said there were some real positives to come out of the match% despite the heavy defeat.

“For our guys it was a hit-out that was really worth it,” he said.

“To have a 40-point loss to a national team, a lot of positives can be taken out of that.”

Cowie was impressed with the Raiders last term and their fighting spirit.

“We kept them to 15 points in the last quarter, with hard-nosed defence in the last,” he said.

“We could have rolled over but the boys competed hard.”

The victory capped an undefeated South West tour for the Indonesian national team. They defeated the South West Slammers earlier in the weekend.

Cowie said it was difficult to prepare without seeing any video of their opponents and said his side lacked physicality.

“It was a difficult first half, having not had any vision, not knowing who their shooters are and where they go,” he said.

“One thing they learnt was their physicality at that level ... they manhandled us early and we didn’t give it back.”

Scott Ranford, in his debut for the Raiders, finished with eight points and some solid rebounds in the second half.

Got a story? Email cameron.newbold@albanyadvertiser.com