Local hoops action to heat up over the weekend

Five games are scheduled in the SBL (Taiwan's new professional Super Basketball League) this weekend, starting with Friday night's contest between the Dacin Tigers and the BCC Mars.

The marquee matchup for the game will be the battle in the paint between Tiger big man Tien Lei (田壘) and Mars center-forward Lee Chi-yi (李啟億). While Tien look to repeat his stellar performance against the Sina Lions last week (27 points and 13 rebounds), Lee will do his best to contain Tien.

But Lee Chi-yi won't be alone in his task as head coach Chung Chih-mong (鍾枝萌) of the Mars will also use Lai Kuo-hung (賴國弘) against Tien to keep both players fresh throughout the game.

Saturday's matinee treat between the Bank of Taiwan and the undefeated Yulon Dinos is sure to load up the arena as the fan-favorite Dinos look to extend their perfect season to 4-0.

All eyes will be on Dino standout forward Chen Hsin-an (陳信安) as he plans to rip through the Bank of Taiwan defense with his blazing speed in the open court and deadly shooting from the perimeter.

Fresh off a disappointing two-point loss against Taiwan Beer last week, the Bank of Taiwan squad will be looking for a big win. The key to victory for Bank of Taiwan will be to control the tempo of the game and establish an inside game early while avoiding a shoot-out match with the Dinos.

Game 2 tomorrow will feature a winless Sina Lions team against q young Taiwan Beer club that could make it two wins in a row.

Having scored a season-high 39 points in his last game against Bank of Taiwan, Taiwan Beer's Lin Chih-jeh (林志傑) expects to be double-teamed early and often.

The aging Lions should avoid the temptation to run with a much younger and quicker Taiwan Beer team and play their own half-court game against Taiwan Beer if they wish to snap a three-game losing streak. This game plan should give Lions center Huang Chuen-hsiung (黃春雄) plenty of chances to establish a presence down in the low post against Taiwan Beer's Liao Wei-cheng (廖偉成).

The Dacin Tigers will take on the Jioutai Elephants to kick off Sunday's action as the Tigers face Elephant rookie sensation Wu Dai-hao (吳岱豪) in a highly anticipated contest. The well-rested Wu will have an edge against Tien Lei of the Tigers as Tien is expected to play over 30 minutes in tonight's game, and may run out of gas against Wu late in the game.

Tiger's point man Wang Chih-chun (王志群) should have a monstrous game against the Elephant defense, that has shown vulnerability to penetration by opposing guards in their three previous contests.

Elephants scoring machine Yang Yu-ming (楊玉明) may have another big game on Sunday (8-for-17 with 22 points versus the Dinos) if the Tigers fail to shut him down from the outside.

The final game of the weekend between the BBC Mars and the Bank of Taiwan will showcase a battle between two premier point guards in the league -- Yen Shin-shu (顏行書) of the Mars and Wu Yung-ren (吳永仁) of Bank of Taiwan.

Yen may have the slight advantage in the matchup for his experience (he is six years older than Wu), but Wu has shown remarkable maturity for his age (only 21) and is up for the task to become the top point man in the land over the next decade.