Keh Ji-hao’s timely three-pointer with under two minutes remaining in the game was the final nail in the coffin as Pure Youth Construction went on to defeat top-ranked Taiwan Beer 77-70 at the Sinjhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City last night to start the week with a win.
It was the second straight game that the third-year guard out of National Taiwan College of Physical Education has helped clinch while filling in for injured starter Hong Chih-shan.
The Builders also needed Keh’s 14-point fourth quarter to pull away against Kinmen Kaoliang in an otherwise tight game in Sunday’s 91-80 win.
“Coach Hsu wanted me to bring my game up a notch until Hong comes back from his injury and I guess that’s what I did,” Keh said after the game.
His clutch three, the only one that the Builders converted all night, was what sealed the win for them.
The victory not only avenged a one-point loss to the Brew Crew in their last meeting, but more importantly, it closed the gap in the standings between the two teams to three games with a half-dozen games left in the regular season.
The showdown between the top two clubs in the league lived up to its billing, with the Builders dominating Taiwan Beer in the early going to grab a 22-13 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
However, Taiwan Beer returned the favor in the second quarter by switching to a zone defense to slow down Pure Youth Construction’s attack, which worked wonders as the Brew Crew turned a nine-point deficit into a 36-34 lead at the half.
The momentum swung the Builders’ way in a low-scoring third quarter, in which neither team was able to score from the perimeter with consistency.
Pure Youth led by as many as eight, with Keh and James Mao taking charge of the floor, before the Brew Crew cut the advantage down to five heading into the final quarter.
Taiwan Beer managed to pull within two of the Builders, with Emmanuel Jones’ outstanding effort on both ends of the floor, but Mao calmly sank a pair of free throws late in the game to preserve the lead for his team before Keh’s three sealed off the win.
KINMEN KAOLIANG 78,
BANK OF TAIWAN 70
Last-placed Kinmen Kaoliang bounced back from a tough loss to Pure Youth on Sunday night with a 78-70 win over Bank of Taiwan yesterday for clinch the ranking of No. 6 for the season.
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