JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia) - Pongsakorn Jaimsawad proved to be the difference as Hi-Tech Basketball Club outlasted Johor, 91-89, in a playoff-like BCL Asia-East 2026 Group Phase encounter on Friday night.
The Thailand men's national team stalwart finished with 11 points, none more important than the pair of cold-blooded three-pointers he knocked down inside the final 1:43 that enabled the BTL champions to escape.
He nailed the first to break the 83-all deadlock and put themselves ahead for good, then made another to push their lead to 89-85 which gave his side enough cushion to ward off the hosts' last-ditch comeback bid.
Those big shots of his not only silenced the near-5,000 fans that trooped to the Arena Larkin Indoor Stadium, but spoiled as well the Southern Tigers' attempt at completing a two-game sweep of their home games.
"We knew coming into Johor's home that it will be tough," said head coach Pachakorn Lertlaokul. "We knew the crowd was gonna be crazy, so we prepared for that. We talked about pressure and we handled it."
Freddie Lish led the way with 16 points and 5 rebounds for Hi-Tech, who took solo second in Group A by improving to 2-2 following a solid bounce-back from their 99-94 loss to Dewa United Banten last Wednesday.
The veteran guard himself was crucial in their fourth-quarter attack, nailing 2 of his 3 treys to cut a 77-71 Johor lead and eventually get ahead, 79-78, behind Chanatip Jakrawan, setting up the wild back-and-forth.
Jakrawan and Accheaus Fields finished with identical numbers of 13 points and 5 rebounds. Emman Ejesu supplied 11 points as well with 7 rebounds while Ibrahim Diaby chipped in 10 points and 7 rebounds in the win.
Ejesu played a role in keeping the opposition at bay, nailing a close jumper to push their lead back to two possessions, 91-87, with about 34 seconds left as the Southern Tigers struggled to at least equalize.
"It's a great win. We would like to keep the second spot. We'll try to win every window, and we'll try to do everything we can - from paying attention to detail, and things like that," offered Lertlaokul.
Hi-Tech will soon turn their attention to the April 30-May 2 games, as the BCL Asia-East 2026 caravan heads to their own stomping grounds at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand to host the Group A teams.
Aaron Geramipoor had 23 points and 8 rebounds for Johor, who fell just short in following up their 90-87 upset over the erstwhile unbeaten Dewa United 24 hours ago, which was their first win in the competition.
Ahmed Hill tallied 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Ting Chun Hong rifled in 18 points behind a 4-of-9 clip from deep, including the one that tied the game up at 83-all with 1:58 left which proved to be their last stand.
Scottie Lewis added 15 points for the Southern Tigers, who fell to the bottom of Group A with a 1-3 card.
"We will not use fatigue as an excuse," said Johor coach Yong Kian Ann. "The team has to learn from moments like this. There will be situations where we'll be fatigued, but good teams grow from tight schedules."
FIBA