i TV Pinoy

Source: gmanews.tv

-- The Philippine Patriots have beaten two of the toughest teams in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), but coach Louie Alas insists they have to work harder and play a lot smarter if they want sustain their hot streak.

Getting big games from their two new recruits – Ateneo's Nonoy Baclao and University of the East's Elmer Espiritu – the Patriots won their last two games in runaway fashion, including a 70-53 win over the erstwhile unbeaten Singapore Slingers last Saturday.

“If we want to play in the finals, we have to sustain the momentum we gained from beating the Slingers," said Alas, shrugging off their early success.

“Though we beat Singapore and Indonesia, we can’t relax since we still have to play 11 more games before the semis, anything can happen," Alas added.

Their recent win was a revenge of sorts for the Patriots, having lost to Slingers, 74-69, the first time they met in the home-and-away tournament.

Alas was happy with the manner they beat the Slingers but said that they could have played better if not for some bad judgments on their part.

"Well, it's part of the game, you made some mistakes, but overall, I'm very happy with the win," said Alas despite the fact that the Slingers played with only eight players, including Filipino import Al Vergara, who played in pain due to a knee injury.

The Patriots shoot for their fourth win when they collide with the Kuala Lumpur Dragons on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur.

The Patriots opened their campaign in the six-nation tournament with a 75-67 win over rivals Indonesia's Satria Muda BritAma in the league's opener last month.

"It shows that we can compete against the best in the region," said Alas.

Mikee Romero, who co-owns the team with Tonyboy Cojuangco, also warned the Patriots not to be complacent, saying: "We achieved nothing yet from beating two of our toughest rivals. We have to stay focused and be patient."

While imports Jason Dixon and Brandon Powell were doing their normal chores for the team, Romero and Alas were surprised with the performances of Baclao and Espiritu.

Baclao starred in the team's 74-61 win over the Thailand Tigers where he tallied seven markers, five boards and four blocks.

It was Espiritu's turn to shine for the Patriots last Sunday as he scored all his seven points in the fourth period, including five straight points that set the tone for the rout of the Slingers. He also had five rebounds and two blocks.

"He (Espiritu) was really an energizer. When the lead was trimmed down to seven points, his hustle on defense was really instrumental," Alas said.

The starting backcourt of Froilan Baguion and Warren Ybanez also made good account of themselves by combining for 11 of the team's 17 assists while the latter had four steals in 24 minutes.