Patriots won its first, Barracudas will be tested

Patriots robbed Satria Muda BritAma: The Philippine Patriots overcame a late surge from host Satria Muda BritAma of Indonesia to take the opener, 76-69.  The opening game of the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League was held at Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday.

Patriots led by American import Brandon Powell who once played with our very own Mike Pilgrim before, scored 18 points and was a rebound shy for a double-doubles. Bogs Adornado was appointed as the interim coach of the team in the absence of Coach Louie Alas due to his commitments to Letran which is now in preparation for the coming NCAA Final Four.  The Patriots are Khazom Mirza,  a stalwart in the Philippine collegiate tournament (UAAP), Rob Wainwright, Froilan Baguion, Chris Coronel, Neil Raneses, Mark Andaya, Erwin Sta. Maria, Nat Cruz, Dino Daa, Jerwin Gaco, Warren Ybanez and Ricky Ricafuente who once work and played here in Brunei. Most of them had once played in the professional leagues and they’re all seeking a second chance and opportunity to prove themselves and to serve their country once again. 

BritAma is the four-time champions in a major tournament in Indonesia, spearheaded by Filipino point guard Rensy Bajar and two American imports in Alexander Hartman and Theo Little. Faisal Ahmad Julius led his team with 16 points followed by Hartman’s 13 and Little’s 12.

The wait is over! Our Brunei Barracudas will meet the tournament’s favorite Singapore Slingers today at 4pm. The Barracudas is led by 2 US-based international imports and 3 ASEANs from the Philippines. Watch out for Al Vergara (a replacement after Jason Castro's departure), the Slingers starting point guard from the Philippines match head-to-head with Leo Avenido of the Barracudas, it’s gonna be a great game. The Slingers will only rely on 4 imports giving more room for locals to play. Today’s Game is live telecast on ESPN channel 812.

Live blogging of the game from the Singapore Indoor Stadium by RedHoops.com can be followed here.