by Jonas Terrado
The ASEAN Basketball League title reign of San Miguel Alab Pilipinas came to an end Wednesday night after being manhandled by Hong Kong Eastern, 102-84, in Game 2 of their best-of-three quarterfinals at Southorn Stadium.
Alab lost an early 12-point lead while its defense faltered from the second quarter onwards, allowing Hong Kong to build a lopsided margin on its way to sweeping the quarters in front of its home fans.
Efforts by imports PJ Ramos and Renaldo Balkman, Ray Parks Jr. and Josh Urbiztondo went in vain as Alab ended its campaign on a sour note by losing the last six games including the playoffs.
Coach Jimmy Alapag’s squad looked as if it will cruise towards dominating the season, leading the standings for most of the way until injuries led to a late swoon to settle for the No. 2 seed in the playoffs at 18-8.
Alab fell 90-88 in the series opener last Friday in Cebu which enabled Hong Kong to gain massive confidence in the eventual series clincher.
Ramos had 21 points and 13 rebounds while Parks scored 19 points in what could be his final game in the league.
Parks is heading to the PBA, though it remains uncertain if he’ll be able to strike a deal with Blackwater, the team that drafted him second overall in the draft last December.
Marcus Elliott fired 29 points while OD Bassett added 28 for Hong Kong, which advanced to face the winner of the other quarterfinal showdown between the Singapore Slingers and Macau Black Bears.