Sabay Salty Crabs and Raid-Alaxan FR kept their winning momentum to jointly top the standings at the end of the second week of competition in the Cambodia Basketball Challenge, presented by Banzai and Sabay at the Beeline Arena on Saturday.

The Crabs were all over Phnom Penh Dragons in their 43-33 victory, though the baskets roll didn’t quite match their dominance.

By the end of the third quarter, the Crabs had managed to give every member on their roster some playing time on the back of a 42-23 lead. In the last quarter, the Dragons whittled the lead down while the Crabs ticked the tally by a mere free throw.

Kim Vengngoun’s 12 points was the most significant contribution for the Crabs while Emman Quiruz posted 11 points for the Dragons.

Almar Sabayo’s 26 points did the star turn for Raid-Alaxan in their 64-49 win over Sela Meas who couldn’t sustain their first quarter blitz. A steady stream of baskets in the second and third quarters built up a healthy lead for Raid-Alaxan who managed to stay on terms with Sela Meas in what was an intense final 10 minutes. Soeur Piseth caught the eye with 14 points for Sela Meas.

A gritty comeback saw Mobitel XG Warriors take the sizzle out of CCPL Heat in a 54-46 victory. Though the Warriors managed to stay within a couple of baskets from the Heat, they had to wait until midway through the third quarter to taste the lead for the first time at 33-32.

At this critical juncture, ever consistent Ley Denestrosa, who ended up with 24 points to his name, unleashed a couple of three pointers along side some quick breakaways. CCPL Heat was well served by Souk Tour’s 15 points.

Colin Meyn’s 19 points proved vital in Team Sharky’s 54-47 triumph over HTPS Mike’s Burger Knights. Once they shot ahead in the second quarter, Team Sharky, more steady than spectacular, never looked back. Joseph Langidin top scored for the Knights with 11 points.

The Crabs and Raid-Alaxan are the only unbeaten teams going into the Third Week. While The Dragons and the Knights have lost both their matches, Sela Meas, Team Sharky, Warriors and Heat have won one lost one.

To contact the reporter on this story: H S Manjunath at [email protected]