Patriots win shy of ABL crown

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Patriots took a step closer to becoming the first Asean Basketball League champion as it plastered Indonesia’s Satria Muda BritAma, 72-53, at The Arena in San Juan late Wednesday to move within a win from sweeping their best-of-five title series.

The Patriots played aggressive on defense and proved unrelenting on offense, using a decisive 20-4 run in the fourth quarter to all but wrap up the game at 72-50 with a little over two minutes left in the contest.

The Indonesians struggled all game in the face of the Patriots’ suffocating defense anchored on imports Gabe Freeman, Jason Dixon, Nonoy Baclao and guard Christian Coronel.

“Defensively, it was a job well done and I hope we could bring the same amount of energy in Jakarta,” said coach Louie Alas, whose wards thumped the Indonesians, 78-68, in the series opener.

The win – their fifth over the visitors dating back to the elims – put the Patriots of Harbour Centre CEO and president Mikee Romero and businessman Tonyboy Cojuangco within a victory from sweeping their best-of-five title series.

But the Patriots will have to do it on a hostile turf as the Indonesians host the Filipinos at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta on Sunday.

“I want to win because it’s tough to play in front of a hostile crowd,” said Alas, whose team leaves today.

Freeman started poorly, missing a couple of shots from close range, but found his rhythm in time before getting into foul trouble, completing another double-double job of 24 points and 14 rebounds.

“This is I think perhaps one of our sweetest wins in the tournament. That’s because our locals did their share,” said Romero, referring to Rob Wainwright, Baclao and Coronel. 

Wainwright took charge as the foul-riddled Freeman rode the bench, making two triples in the second quarter, helping the Patriots erect a 41-26 halftime lead. – Joey Villar