Asean Basketball League Roundup: January 28-29, 2012

Anthony Johnson slams one home as the Patriots
defeated the Warriors at home.

*All images are from AseanBasketballLeague.com

AIR ASIA PHILIPPINE PATRIORS over INDONESIA WARRIORS, 86-73

Both teams came into this game searching for wins after bitter losses last weekend. The Patriots lost to the San Miguel Beermen and the Warriors lost against the Westports Malaysia Dragons.

The Pinoys started the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run and held on to their lead to eventually beat the Indonesians. Patriots’ import Anthony Johnson led all scoring with 33 points, while his teammate Nakiea Miller recorded his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 16 rebounds. On the other end, Warriors’ point guard Mario Wuysang led his team with 24 points.

The Patriots’ big men dominated the paint as they outscored the Warriors 40-28 inside and outrebounded the Warriors 44-28. Johnson was in attack mode in this game and was aggressive on offense. The Patriots also got key contributions from their point guard, Al Vergara, who scored 14 points.

Indonesia Warriors’ two imports, Steven Thomas and Jonathan Smith, were limited to 16 points each, while their three ASEAN imports Harold Sta. Cruz, Jerick Canada, and Ricky Ricafuente had a tough game as they only managed 7 combined points.

PHP 86 - Johnson 33, Miller 19, Vergara 14, Larong 11, Raymundo 4, Wainwright 3, Laure 2, Ybanez 0, Fernandez 0, Saldua 0, Arellano 0, Rodriguez

INW 73 - Wuysang 24, Smith 16, Thomas 16, Prihantono 10, Sta. Cruz 4, Canada 3, Ricafuente 0, Gunawan 0

QS: 17-15, 37-35, 62-56, 86-73

Jerrick Canada had an off-game against his fellow Pinoys.

Nakiea Miller and Steve Thomas battle for the rebound.

WESTPORTS MALAYSIA DRAGONS over SAIGON HEAT, 97-86

The Westports Malaysia Dragons were on fire in front of their home crowd today as they recorded their third straight win, leaving them as the only team in the ABL that is currently unbeaten.

The Dragons hit the ground running and within the first two and a half minutes of the first quarter, they led the Heat, 22-8, which prompted a timeout by Coach Newsom to try and get his team back on track. Jonathan Jones came back in and managed 2 points and although they managed to cut the Dragons’ lead by a little bit, the quarter ended with the Dragons up 25-14.

The Dragons never lost the lead the entire game and the team shot very well, making 54% of their field goals and converting 63% of their three pointers, with Guganeswaran Batumalai, Brian Williams and Patrick Cabahug sinking all of their attempts in the game. Brian Williams ended the game with another double-double line of 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The top scorer for the game, however, was Saigon Heat’s Julius Hodge, who put in an incredible 42 points, nearly half of his team’s total. Fellow import Jonathan Jones had his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

WMD 97 - Wade 26, Williams 20, Loh 14, Cabahug 11, Kuppusamy 11, Batumalai 6, Belasco 5, Pacana 4, Lau 0, Kuek 0, Ng 0, Chee 0

SGH 86 - Hodge 42, Jones 16, Smith 13, Oeun 7, Capati 6, Trieu 2, Nguyen 0, Doan 0, Ly 0

QS: 25-14, 51-37, 71-56, 97-86

John Smith was one of the lone bright spots for the
expansion Saigon Heat team.

Brian Williams tries to sneak one in
against the D of Jonathan Jones.

Chris Pacana has been a dependable stabilizer
for the WM Dragons.

SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN over CHANG THAILAND SLAMMERS, 68-59

The Chang Thailand Slammers came into the game looking to bounce back from their loss against the Bangkok Cobras last weekend, while the San Miguel Beermen came in high after besting the AirAsia Philippine Patriots.

Kenneth Walker and DeAndre Thomas led their team in the first quarter, contributing 14 out of the team’s total of 19 points. The San Miguel Beermen, however, stepped it up in the second quarter, and a strong performance from Darlon Johnson gave his team the lead for the first time in the game. The San Miguel Beermen were on top at halftime, 33-32.

The game remained tight as the Slammers tried their best to regain the lead throughout the third quarter, but the Beermen stubbornly held on. SMB eventually entered the final period leading, 51-48.

The Thais still tried hard to catch up in the fourth period and managed to cut the lead down to just two points with eight minutes left on the clock. This only prompted a resurgence by the Beermen, who answered with an 8-point run to leave the Slammers behind. Sterling performances from Dalron Johnson and Leo Avenido saw the Beermen notch up their second consecutive win.

Despite the loss, the Slammers’ Kenneth Walker had an impressive game, recording a double double with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

SMB 68 - Johnson 21, Avenido 14, Thomson 10, Fernandez 9, Rizada 5, Fajardo 3, Baguion 3, Cabatu 3, Luanzon 0, Mangahas 0, Gonzales 0

CTS 59 - Walker 21, Thomas 15, Tolomia 11, Suttisin 5, Lertmalaiporn 4, Apiromvilaichai 3, TIntai 0, Sangthong 0, Jantuma 0, Williams 0

QS: 15-19, 33-32, 51-48, 68-59

Dough Thomson (wearing a Thomas jersey)
jams it home for the Beermen.

Leo Avenido waxed hot in the second half to
put the Slammers away.

Junmar Fajardo rises for the emphatic block.

SINGAPORE SLINGERS over BANGKOK COBRAS, 73-48

The Singapore Slingers recorded their third win for the season against the Bangkok Cobras. It was a very close game in the first half with both teams matching each other point-for-point throughout the first quarter. The point spread did not go beyond two and the quarter ended with both teams tied at 14.

The Slingers stepped it up in the second quarter, however, with import Louis Graham almost unstoppable in the paint. They kept the Cobras down to just 7 points this quarter, while the Slingers racked up 19, giving them a comfortable 12 point lead going at the break.

The second half was all about the Slingers as they continued to dominate in the paint both offensively and defensively. The Cobras recorded 16 turnovers in total throughout this game, double the total for the Slingers. The Slingers also managed 42 points in the paint as compared to the Cobras’ 16.

Wong Wei Long top-scored for the Slingers with 15 points and his teammate Louis Graham contributed another double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Donald Little was also a force to be reckoned with under the basket, recording 17 rebounds in this game. For the Bangkok Cobras, Ratdech Kruatiwa was the top scorer with 11 points and 7 rebounds, followed by teammates Gentry Lewis and Michael Earl with 10 points apiece.

SGS 73 - Wong 15, Graham 14, Dulay 10, Little 9, Oh 8, Ng 5, Tan 4, Lim 4, Khoo 2, Canta 2, Matialakan 0, Goh 0

BKC 48 - Kruatiwa 11, Lewis 10, Earl 10, Apiromvilaichai 5, Limsuwan 5, Kongkum 3, Chaiwat 2, Klahan 2, Wanna 0

QS: 14-14, 33-21, 52-32, 73-48