Chong Son denies Alab of outright semis berth after win over HK Eastern

Chong Son Kung Fu. Photo from ASEAN Basketball League

Chong Son took over the top spot in the standings after stomping Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team, 88-77, in the ASEAN Basketball League Wednesday at Southorn Stadium.

Kung Fu’s victory over Hong Kong Eastern, which saw them finish the eliminations with a 15-5 record, not only marked a change in the leadership but it also denied Alab Pilipinas a semifinals bye.

Alab dropped to third seed in the standings with a 14-6 record and will face no. 6 team Saigon Heat in a best-of-three quarterfinals series starting Sunday.

Although Hong Kong Eastern’s 14-6 record is tied with Alab and Mono Vampire they were still the ones who got the second seed and an outright semifinals berth due to winning the tiebreak among the three teams.

Anthony Tucker led Chong Son with 29 points, on 6-of-11 shooting from deep, as Kung Fu clinches home court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Justin Howard put up a massive double-double for Kung Fu with 24 points and 22 rebounds while Filipino-American Caelan Tiongson had 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Tyler Lamb led Hong Kong Eastern with 30 points while Marcus Elliott had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.

Christian Standhardinger, who is the top overall pick in the 2017 PBA Draft, had 12 points and 14 rebounds for Hong Kong.