Knights Defeat Hornbills 82-81 in the First Game of the 2026 IBL Playoffs

Solo Knight basketball player, Kevin Moses EP (left) competes for the ball with Dewa United Banten basketball player, Arki Dikania Wisnu (right) in the 2026 Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) match at the Sritex Arena, Wednesday, February 11, 2026. ANTARA FOTO-Mohammad Ayudha

JAKARTA - The Knights of Solo defeated the Bogor Hornbills with a narrow score of 82-81 at their home, Sritex Arena, Saturday, May 23. The Knights scored a 1-0 lead in the first series of the 2026 IBL playoff.

Quoted from the IBL website via Antara, the Knights, who are the sixth seed, have never won from the Hornbills in the regular season this season. The Knights almost collapsed, because Bogor managed to catch up with a 17-point deficit.

The visiting team was able to turn the tide after Antoni Erga made a layup in the last three minutes. However, the momentum of the third seeded team was off, so the Knights sealed the victory with a step back jump shot from Reyvonte Rice.

The foreign duo of the Knights, namely Kentrell Barkley and CJ Gettys showed their strong chemistry. Barley scored 33 points and eight rebounds with a shooting accuracy of 63 percent or 14 of 22 attempts, while Gettys scored 21 points and 13 rebounds.

The Knights also scored 44 points from the paint area, 17 second chance points, and converted 13 turnovers of the Hornbills into 19 points.

On the other hand, Hornbills have five players who scored double digits, namely Stephaun Branch with 19 points and 13 rebounds, Kaleb Wesson with 19 points, Sevly Rondonuwu with 14 points, Travin Thibodeaux with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, and Antoni Erga with 11 points.

The loss marred a momentous moment for the Hornbills, with the announcement of Thibodeaux as the 2026 IBL League MVP and Cesar Camara Perez as the 2026 IBL Coach Of The Year.

"I know this will be a tough match. However, beyond that assumption, I realized that this challenge actually came in the first half. With one of 18 three points, it has shown that we must be able to rise in the second half," said Hornbills coach Cesar Camara Perez.

The series will shift to Bogor, where the Hornbills will host Game 2, on May 27, 2026. Game 3 if needed, the Hornbills must win if they do not want to be swept away by the Knights.