TANGERANG (Indonesia) - Freddie Lish remained far from pleased even as he helped steer Hi-Tech Basketball Club to a thrilling escape past Johor to split their Window 1 assignments in the BCL Asia-East 2026.
"It makes us feel like we have to go back to the drawing board," offered the veteran playmaker after their 90-80 overtime victory at the Dewa United Arena on Saturday to chalk up their first win of the season.
Lish himself was crucial in the triumph with 17 points, including the booming trey to open extra time which shifted momentum in their favor as Eric Freeman and the others came through for the strong windup.
The triumph enabled the reigning, three-time Basketball Thai League champions to put their campaign on the right track after losing to Troy Gillenwater and another league newcomer in Dewa United on opening night.
Still, the 37-year-old was hardly satisfied, pointing out that the result wasn't enough to cover the amount of points they lost against the Indonesian Basketball League outfit, having suffered a harsh 97-77 beatdown.
After two games, they're still at -10 in terms of point differential.
We have a lot of work to do.
"It was a good win. But at the end of the day, it was only by 10 points," said Lish, reiterating how every point matters within the BCL Asia context. "We played hard, and they played hard. But we have a lot of work to do."
More than the points, though, the whole window served as a lesson for Hi-Tech according to the Thailand men's team star, going back to their blowout loss against Dewa United last Friday to prove his point.
That game saw the charges of Coach Kannawat Lertlaokul surge to a double-digit early, only to cough it up as the home team began to trim the gap and eventually turn things around - all during the middle quarters.
Hi-Tech struggled to keep up and things would turn from bad to worse come the fourth quarter, as they allowed Dewa United to drop 31 points in the said chapter alone en route to registering the 20-point W.
Needless to say, Lish & Co. would want none of that to happen in the windows ahead.
"Stemming off the game yesterday, losing to Dewa, we all know we have to come together better. And that's what we're gonna do in the next couple of weeks," reflected the 13-year pro out of South Alabama.
"And we'll be ready for the next two stops," Lish closed.
Hi-Tech, together with the rest of Group A teams, are set to return to action on April 14-17 when the BCL Asia-East 2026 caravan heads to Johor Bahru, Malaysia. To see the complete schedule, click here.
FIBA