By Jonas Terrado
San Miguel Alab Pilipinas was relegated to a quarterfinal duel with the Saigon Heat in the ASEAN Basketball League after Chong Son Kung Fu defeated defending champion Hong Kong Eastern in Wednesday’s final elimination round match in Hong Kong.
Alab would have clinched a top two finish and an outright semifinals berth had Hong Kong won but Chong Son rallied from a 22-7 first quarter deficit to score an 88-77 win at Southorn Stadium.
Chong Son clinched the top seed and the home court advantage in the playoffs with a 15-5 record while Hong Kong, Alab and Thailand’s Mono Vampire shared identical 14-6 slates.
Hong Kong won the tiebreaker on a superior quotient, Alab went third and Mono was fourth and will play No. 5 Singapore in the quarters.
The best-of-three series between Alab and No. 6 Saigon tentatively starts next week.
