Flames drench SI fire

Papua New Guinea men’s basketball league champions KSS Southern Flames returned to Port Moresby yesterday after a successful trip to the Solomon Islands where they beat the national team in their three-games series.
Team manager Vonnie Kapi Nato said though they were friendly games between the sides the three matches gave the players confidence for bigger games like the Melanesian Cup challenge later this month.
“The excitement about this trip is that we played against the Solomon Island’s national team,” Kapi Nato said.
“I, as the team manager, for Flames, had confidence in the Flames that they could stand up tall against other Pacific Island countries as well after seeing how they played.
“They have defended well in all their games and that made them the winners but that should not give an excuse for them (to underestimate the Solomon Islanders) in the main Melo Cup challenge.
“For our local team to beat the SI’s national team in all three games is a big boost for the team and players.
“However, we need to iron out a few mistakes to put them in the right position to take up the higher challenge which is the Melo Cup.
“Now we need to work a little bit harder to get the best result for our country in the big challenge.”
Kapi Nato said the Solomon Islands had a strong men’s team and they caught up with the Flames in the last game but lost by five points.
“The Flames deserved the win because they worked hard for this,” she said.
“In the first game, our Flames panicked but luckily we won the game with a four-basket difference and we confidently won the second and the third matches.”
Kapi Nato said she decided to take the team on the tour to play the Solomon Islands men’s national team to test the fitness of the players at the international level.