MANILA, Philippines – Hong Kong Eastern emphatically booted Alab Pilipinas out of contention with a 102-84 blowout in Game 2 of their ABL Season 9 quarterfinals series in Hong Kong on Wednesday, April 3.
A new champion is now guaranteed as Alab fizzled out with a six-game losing streak in a failed bid to defend its crown.
Marcus Elliot led Hong Kong’s upset efforts with 29 points, followed by O’Darien Bassett’s 28-marker, 15-assist double-double masterpiece.
From a 25-all deadlock early in the 2nd quarter, the seventh-seeded Hong Kong cruised away with a massive 24-5 run, ending with a Ki Lee three, 49-30, at the 2:26 mark. He ended up with 18 points on a 6-of-8 shooting with a perfect 3-of-3 clip from beyond the arc.
The Filipino side never recovered since then, dipping as low as 25, 51-76, after a Bassett triple at the 2:30 mark of the 3rd. Alab tried to make some runs in the 4th, but never got closer than 17 points against a motivated Hong Kong squad.
Alab’s Big Three went down swinging in the loss, led by PJ Ramos’ 21-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Local MVP Ray Parks chipped in 19 markers while Defensive Player of the Year Renaldo Balkman tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists.
The Scores
Hong Kong 102 – Elliott 29, Bassett 28, Lee 18, Lau 12, Holyfield 11, SW Chan 3, Chung 1, Siu 0, Xu 0, Yang 0, YL Chan 0.
Alab Pilipinas 84 – Ramos 21, Parks 19, Balkman 16, Urbiztondo 11, Rosser 9, Tiongson 3, Javelona 3, Alvano 2, Sumalinog 0, Alabanza 0, Torres 0.
Quarters: 25-23, 56-37, 79-57, 102-84.
– Rappler.com