Goh fires on both ends as Slingers down Dragons
Delvin Goh is proving that he is more than just a one-trick pony.
| WESTPORTS M'SIAN DRAGONS | SINGAPORE SLINGERS |
| 85 | 94 |
The 2.02m-tall power forward shone in the Singapore Slingers' 94-85 win over Westports Malaysia Dragons at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, and was named the Player of the Game.
A key defensive cog in the Slingers' engine room, the 22-year-old put in a solid shift on both ends of the court to underline his versatility.
Goh, who averages eight points, ended yesterday's game with a season-high 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, as the Slingers improved to 6-6 for the season.
He told The New Paper after the game: "People usually know me as a defensive player, getting rebounds and stopping the opponents' imports.
"But for these few games, especially for this game, I just wanted to come out strong, especially when I was going against the locals from the other team. I wanted to make sure that I took every opportunity to help us win.
"So, my mindset right from the beginning was to do whatever I can, be it at either end."
After a narrow 23-22 first quarter to the Slingers, the Dragons took the initiative by half-time, leading 47-39.
The Slingers then came roaring back and led 67-64 going into the final quarter - a lead they would not relinquish.
Xavier Alexander topped the Slingers' scoresheet with 33 points, three rebounds and five assists.
Goh, who has been on the Slingers' roster since he was 16, believes it was teamwork that saw them clinch victory.
He said: "I have to give credit to all my teammates because of their efforts on court.
"For me, it always works both ways so as a team, we definitely stuck together and helped one another, which was really one of the key things that we always emphasise on."
But he added that there's still much for him to work on, like being more vocal and blocking more shots.
Slingers coach Neo Beng Siang applauded Goh's contributions.
The 56-year-old said: "Delvin helped out on both ends and his height is always good for us.
"He may not have been scoring the highest but, at crucial times, he came in and helped out on our defensive rebounds, and offence-wise, he was much more aggressive."
Neo would have been even happier if he could have Goh in his team on a regular basis.
Due to national service, Goh is unable to play in every match - he has missed two out of eight away matches this season.
Neo said: "The tricky part with Delvin is that we'll never know when we can get him due to NS. But he comes for training and games whenever he can, so we just hope that we can get him for the rest of our games."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
