Malek Green of the Cantho Catfish rises for a jump shot during their 86-76 win over the Danang Dragons at Tân Bình Gymnasium on Thursday. — Photo courtesy of VBA

HCM CITY — The Cantho Catfish solidified their second-place position in the VBA standings with a convincing 86-76 victory over the Danang Dragons at Tân Bình Gymnasium.

The home side, currently in fine form, extended their winning streak to four matches. Entering the game with a significant advantage, the Catfish benefited from nearly three weeks of rest and the support of their home court, while the Dragons had just come off a tough loss two days earlier at CIS Arena.

Both teams fielded similar formations with two local starters and three imports. The Catfish relied on Nguyễn Thanh Tùng and Phạm Đức Kiên alongside their foreign core, while the visiting side responded with Huỳnh Thanh Tâm and Mai Phước Thịnh.

The Catfish made a strong start, capitalising on superior fitness and home advantage. Centre Malek Green led the way with mid-range jumpers and powerful drives. Despite the Dragons’ efforts, primarily through Karachi Edo’s close-range plays, the visitors remained slightly behind at the end of the first quarter, 24-21.

The second quarter proved pivotal as the Catfish bench, particularly Michael Soy and Vietnamese-American Kevin Lê, contributed 12 points and four assists combined. Conversely, coach Hoàng Thế Vinh of the Dragons rotated four bench players with little effect. The gap widened to 14 points by halftime, 49-35.

After the break, Soy continued to impress with a series of stylish finishes, complementing the consistency of the starters. The Dragons struggled to respond, relying heavily on Edo’s interior scoring. Their offensive approach lacked variety, resulting in a substantial 25-point deficit by the end of the third quarter, 76-51.

The visitors mounted a late surge in the final period, banking on long-range shooting to close the gap. With six successful three-point shots out of 13 attempts, notably from Hoàng Tú and Lê Hoàng Quân, they managed to reduce the deficit to just eight points, 84-76, with a minute remaining.

Coach Vinh called for full-court pressure and intentional fouls to stop the clock, but his counterpart Phan Thanh Cảnh responded calmly. A difficult basket by Malek Green sealed the result.

Green, the Catfish’s leading scorer, was named Player of the Game with a dominant performance of 35 points and 15 rebounds. “I believe our strong defence and aggressive play gave us the edge tonight. The game was competitive with a lot of contact, but for me, it was all just part of our passion. I’m confident we’ll continue this momentum in the rematch,” he said.

The Catfish controlled the tempo for most of the game and demonstrated composure during the late rally. While Green dominated in the paint, the perimeter attack was led by Michael Soy, who scored 18 points, including four three-pointers at a 57 per cent success rate.

On the other side, Karachi Edo continued to shine with 33 points and 19 rebounds.

Following this result, both teams retained their positions in the league standings. The Catfish (five wins, two losses) remain second, while the Dragons (four wins, four losses) stay in fifth place. VNS