ABL exhibition games pit Beermen, Patriots vs Qatari club

Amid A looming rivalry, the AirAsia Philippine Patriots and the San Miguel Beermen vie to boost their buildup with another set of exhibition matches before the Asean Basketball League (ABL) fires off on Jan. 14.

The Beermen, one of the debuting squads in the regional home-and-away league, battle the Qatari Al-Jays at 2 p.m. today at the Ynares Sports Arena, before another showdown on Jan. 5.

The Patriots take their turn against the same Qatari club champion team at 4 p.m. on Friday at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Admission is free.

Fielding a retooled lineup, the Patriots finished second to the Beermen in a preseason tournament last week where six of Season 3’s eight-team cast saw action.

New coach Glenn Capacio said his Patriots are “still far from being called a team” while the Beermen looked “prepared” in the recent To Be Number One Basketball Challenge in Bangkok.

The Patriots hope to reclaim the crown they lost to the Chang Thailand Slammers last season by tapping reigning Best Import Nakiea Miller and Anthony Johnson as reinforcements.

Former Smart Gilas mainstay Aldrech Ramos and veteran guards Al Vergara and Warren Ybañez banner the Patriots’ local cast.

The Beermen also boast a powerhouse lineup led by Chris Banchero, the Filipino-Italian guard who consistently delivered solid games in the Bangkok tourney.

The 22-year-old Banchero, who traces his roots to Ilocos, bagged the All-American Player of the Year when he starred with the Seattle Pacific University in the NCAA Division II last year.

American imports Dalron Johnson and Richard Jeter also made strong early impressions for the Beermen along with Cebu’s 6-foot-10 standout Junemar Fajardo.

Teams have two more weeks to gear up before the league’s opening weekend where the Patriots will battle the Bangkok Cobras while the Beermen will clash with the Westports Malaysia Dragons.

Rounding up the competition are the Indonesia Warriors, Saigon Heat, Singapore Slingers and the defending champion Slammers.

source by Jasmine W. Payo, Philippine Daily Inquirer

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Petron completes semis cast

ANTIPOLO -- Petron Blaze completed a two-game sweep of Meralco and set up an exciting semifinal duel with Talk n Text in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Sports Center here Wednesday night.

Even with injured ace guard Alex Cabagnot seeing action in just a few minutes, the Boosters played steady all night and bundled out the Bolts, 80-64, to earn the right to battle the Texters in a best-of-seven semis showdown starting Jan. 5.

The semifinals begin Jan. 4 with the Game One of the Rain or Shine-Powerade confrontation.

Petron and Talk n Text figures in another playoff showdown following two finals meetings last season.

Though swept by the Texters in two games in the elimination round, Agustin said he loves their chance to survive the semis.

“Dehado kami dahil kumpleto na sila samantalang pilay pa rin kami. Pero gusto ko ang laban namin,” said Agustin.

“It will be a question of will and determination. The team who wants it more gets it,” Agustin added.

Chris Lutz topscored with 22 points while Arwind Santos chipped in 18 points and Joseph Yeo added 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Boosters booted the Bolts out.

“Maganda ang game plan namin and the guys stuck with it. They were aggressive from the get-go to the finish,” said Agustin.

The Boosters pummeled the Bolts, 30-17, in the first quarter and sustained the heat to win the game convincingly.

Denok Miranda, playing extended minutes with Cabagnot hurt, delivered all-around numbers of 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Cabagnot played only for three minutes, missing one attempt and committing one turnover.

The entire Petron team, however, stepped up, leading by as many as 18 points in the lopsided contest.

Mark Cardona and Gabby Espinas fuelled a Meralco charge in the second half but the best they could do was carried the Bolts to within six at 52-58.

Clutch baskets by Santos, Miranda and Lutz reestablished a commanding spread for Petron. (SB)

The scores:

PETRON 80 - Lutz 21, Santos 18, Yeo 13, Miranda 12, Baclao 6, Reyes 6, Tugade 2, Ildefonso 2, Doruelo 0, Agustin 0, Cabagnot 0.

MERALCO 64 - Espinas 20, Cardona 10, Mercado 9, Macapagal 7, Taulava 7, Isip 4, Timberlake 2, Borboran 2, Omolon 2, Ross 1, Ballesteros 0, Lanete 0, Hugnatan 0.

Quarters: 30-17, 46-32, 58-49, 80-64

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SMB emerges No. 1 in Bangkok

MANILA, Philippines - San Miguel Beer grounded AirAsia Philippines in the fourth quarter and fashioned out an 84-76 victory to capture the "To Be Number One Basketball Challenge" crown in Bangkok last Sunday.

The Beermen outscored the Patriots in the early going of the payoff period with import Richard Jeter scoring five in a 7-0 run to pull away en route to victory that augured well for the team’s debut in the third AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League firing off Jan. 14.

After a see-saw battle in the first quarter, the Beermen came through with several spurts to take a 41-33 lead at halftime. The Patriots came to within one, 56-57, at the end of the third but the Beermen unleashed a strong opening kick in the fourth to seize control.

Anthony Johnson and Jun Jun Cabatu fired 17 points apiece while Fil-Am Chris Banchero and Jeter finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively.

Despite the setback, Patriots' coach Glenn Capacio saw some positive signs he hopes to build on for their bid to reclaim the ABL crown.

"They deserved to win, they have prepared long while we were still trying to jell as a team," said Capacio.

He, however, vowed to work things out to be ready and be a contender again in the upcoming tournament.

"Our advantage is that we already have an idea on what kind of opposition we would be facing. But we have to prepare better since all teams are very competitive," Capacio said.

But with the Beermen in the fold, Patriots team manager Erick Arejola said things could be a lot tougher for the Patriots, who ruled the league’s inaugural staging but lost the crown last year.

source The Philippine Star

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