Mono Vampire BC finished off Chong Son Kung Fu, 83-80, at their home floor in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday afternoon, to book an all-ASEAN Finals series with the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the 8th ASEAN Basketball League.
Just like the Filipino club team, this will be the first champioship appearance for Mono in the regional pro league. Moreover, this will be the first time in six years that Thailand and the Philippines will face off in the ABL Finals. The Chang Thailand Slammers swept the AirAsia Philippine Patriots in a best-of-three affair back in 2011.
Filipino-American Jason Brickman anchored Mono with 23 points along with nine assists and six rebounds. World Import Mike Singletary survived foul trouble and went on to have 23 markers as well with 13 boards.
But the star of Wednesday’s bout had been the 7-foot-5 Sam Deguara.
The Spanish big man made the game-winning three-point play at the buzzer to avert a monumental collapse by Mono — the Thai team opened the bout 15-0, only to squander it in the second half and allow Kung Fu to lead by 11 in the fourth.
Deguara provided 19 points, 19 rebounds, and four blocks.
Filipino point guard Paul Zamar — who had a solid Game One, as he made 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals — was limited to just six points. But he made up for it with five caroms, four dimes, and three steals.
Fil-Am Mikh McKinney, who had a record-setting 32 points back in Game One, only had 20 points — including the game-tying triple with two ticks left — along with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals for Chong Son.
World Import Justin Howard was still the high-point man for the Chinese ball club with 25 points alongside 15 rebounds despite fouling out late. Locals Tian Yuheng and Luo Yongxuan chipped in 15 and 11 markers, respectively.
Anthony Tucker was nowhere near his form, as he was limited to just nine points, seven rebounds, and six feeds.
Chong Son missed the services of Fil-Am bruiser Caelan Tiongson due to a concussion. The six-foot-four forward from California played in Game One, where he only had four points, six assists, and three rebounds.
Game One of the Finals will be on Sunday, April 22, at the Santa Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex in Laguna at 8:00 PM.
