Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

ABL

Behind Ray Parks and Justin Brownlee, Alab outlasts Chong Son in overtime


Alab Pilipinas proved that it can compete with the big boys

Facing a highly-touted Chong Son Kung Fu squad for the first time, Alab Pilipinas was not fazed. With the home crowd rallying behind them, the Philippine-based squad outlasted the second-running club team in the ASEAN Basketball League in overtime, 94-91, Wednesday evening at the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna.

With the win, Alab lifts its record to 7-4, cutting the lead of the third-running Mono Vampire to just a solitary game. Kung Fu, on the other hand, dropped to 6-2.

It would not have happened if not for the heroics of Bobby Ray Parks, Jr., Justin Brownlee, Renaldo Balkman, and Josh Urbiztondo.

Chong Son held a one-point lead with just a minute left in extra time. Brownlee  was fouled by Chong Son sparkplug Sidikejiang Kamiran seconds later, giving Alab the edge. Anthony Tucker then missed a three-pointer, but Brownlee traveled on the next play, returning possession to the visitors. Balkman was able to pickpocket Kamiran that led to a dagger basket by Brownlee to seal the win.

Brownlee struggled all throughout the contest, but still managed to put up 20 points on 7-for-27 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds. Balkman scored five of his 20 points in overtime, while grabbing 16 boards and swatting away six shots.

Without Parks, Jr., Alab could not have kept up with the first-year club team. The reigning ABL Local Most Valuable Player had a season-high 31 points on 11-for-18 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two assists. Moreover, he defended reigning ABL Heritage Import of the Week Mikh McKinney on the other end.

#ReadMore  Performance matters more than results for Lady Maroons

Alab had to rally back for the majority of regulation, falling behind by as much as 11 points early in the contest. But in crunch time, it was Urbiztondo who stepped up, knocking down three straight triples late in the final quarter that turned a five-point deficit into a two-point Alab lead with 1:35 left.

McKinney — who finished the game with 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and three steals — was able to knot things up later on but was answered right back by a Brownlee bucket. A costly turnover by Urbiztondo led to the game-tying lay-up by Justin Howard with 10 ticks left. A last second, desperation triple by Brownlee would have brought the house down, but the shot fell short.

Howard and Tucker had 25 and 24 points respectively, with the former grabbing 18 rebounds as well. McKinney’s fellow Filipino-American Caelan Tiongson had 11 points and six rebounds, as he was saddled with foul trouble all throughout the contest.

Alab will next face the Singapore Slingers on Sunday, February 4, at the OCBC Arena in Kallang, Singapore.

The Scores:

Alab 94 – Parks Jr. 31, Brownlee 20, Balkman 20, Urbiztondo 9, Domingo 8, Maierhofer 6, Celiz 0, Hontiveros 0, Javelona 0

Chong Son 91 – Mckinney 25, Howard 25, Tucker 24, Tiongson 11, Kamiran 6, Liu 0, He 0, Zhao 0, Luo 0

Quarterscores: 18-24, 39-47, 62-65, 84-84, 94-91 (OT)

Written By


You May Also Like

Basketball

Ginebra avoided falling into a dangerous situation as it found much-needed solutions to decipher TNT, 85-73, and take Game 3 of the PBA Season...

Basketball

TNT used a strong fourth-quarter push to repulse Barangay Ginebra, 96-84, and race to a 2-0 lead in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup...

Basketball

ANTIPOLO — Jayson Castro proved pivotal yet again as TNT methodically tore apart Barangay Ginebra, 104-88, to draw first blood in the PBA Season...

Basketball

Justin Brownlee is set for another duel with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson as a hardcourt rivalry is seemingly brewing between the star imports. The two are...

Basketball

Ginebra took a big step in its aspirations of regaining PBA Governors’ Cup glory as it marched on to the Finals after finishing off...

Basketball

Ginebra’s defense in Game 4 was simply unacceptable. None other than Justin Brownlee lamented as much after the Kings succumbed to a 131-121 defeat...

Basketball

June Mar Fajardo and EJ Anosike led the third-quarter assault as San Miguel got back at Ginebra, 131-121, to send their PBA Governors’ Cup...

Basketball

Justin Brownlee starred yet again as Barangay Ginebra got back at San Miguel, 99-94, to take a 2-1 lead in their PBA Season 49...

Advertisement