Dibuat oleh Admin. Pada 03 March 2025 - 01:58
Without a match for almost two weeks, the head coach of SM Pertamina had to think hard so that his players could still feel the aura of the match. On that basis, the team based in Kelapa Gading finally held two trial matches this week against Borneo and Dewa United.
The match against Borneo itself was quite uneven. Appearing without Bagir, Julian and Abraham because they were still on break after competing for the Indonesian National Team in the FIBA ​​qualification, SM turned out to be too strong for Borneo.
High accuracy and solid communication made them win absolutely with a score of 113-71. Nash appeared as the top scorer with 18 points, but credit to Karl, Juan, Sandy and Mario who performed charmingly with a total of 55 points.
SM Pertamina head coach Youbel Sondakh said that his team really needed this trial and one of the goals was for the troops to still feel the competitive atmosphere.
"Because in my opinion we have been on break from competing for too long, so we really have to maintain the feel of fighting in the arena. Yes, the national team did compete yesterday, but it was only a few players, not all of them. So I hope that with this, the rhythm and tension in their game will not disappear," he said.
In addition, this man from Manado also said that this trial also aims to provide more playing time for his players who do not have many playing minutes when competing.
"That's actually what we are after and it is proven that Karl, Sandy, Juan and Mario have made good contributions when playing against Borneo yesterday. And of course I really hope they continue to have this kind of performance. Because I really need all the players in this squad to be ready, so when the time comes they can immediately contribute," he continued.
"But honestly, I am personally happy with their performance and all the teams yesterday when we beat Borneo, because their basketball was also good and their shooting percentage was also high. Hopefully this enthusiasm will spread to the real match later," he concluded.
Two days later, SM Pertamina played another trial match and this time they visited to face Dewa United Banten. By fielding almost its entire squad, SM Pertamina was able to emerge victorious with a score of 101-95.
SM Pertamina will next face Tangerang Hawks on March 5 and Pelita Jaya on March 8 in the continuation of this season's IBL.
