By Jonas Terrado
Game Friday
(Southorn Stadium, Hong Kong)
8 p.m. – Hong Kong
vs Alab Pilipinas
Defending champion San Miguel Alab Pilipinas tries to extend its dominance over Hong Kong Eastern while going for a seventh straight win Friday night in the ASEAN Basketball League at Southorn Stadium.
Playing in cruised control for most of the season, Alab is out to replicate its twin victories over Hong Kong in Sta. Rosa, Laguna when the two teams play the first of two games in a span of five days in the former British colony.
Gametime is set at 8 p.m. with coach Jimmy Alapag’s boys aiming to pull away from the rest of the competition.
Alab leads the 10-team league with 12 wins and two losses and is coming off a 111-87 rout of the Saigon Heat in Lapu-Lapu City.
Ray Parks Jr. returned from a two-game absence due to injury and delivered 23 points and seven assists against the Heat.
Parks has played one of the supporting roles for imports Renaldo Balkman and PJ Ramos, who have been keys to Alab’s success.
Balkman, who was recently voted by fans as the midseason World Most Valuable Player, is averaging 26.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks this season.
