Alab Pilipinas. Photo from ASEAN Basketball League Facebook
Renaldo Balkman got unleashed on the big stage as he powered Alab Pilipinas past Hong Kong Eastern, 98-94, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three ASEAN Basketball League semifinals Wednesday at Southorn Stadium.
Balkman set an ABL playoff record of 46 points, one more than what Justin Howard had in 2017, while also tallying 14 boards, four assist, four steals, and two blocks to lead Alab over Hong Kong, a team they never beat in two occasions in the eliminations.
Alab’s first encounters against Hong Kong, though, did not feature the import combo of Balkman and Justin Brownlee, and that partnership made the difference this time for the Filipinos as the the two imports showcased their stability down the stretch.
The Filipinos held a 94-88 lead with 1:44 to go before Hong Kong knotted it up at 94-94 with back-to-back three-pointers with 56 seconds left in the game.
But Balkman gave Alab the edge for good, 96-94, fter sinking two free throws with 37 seconds left before Brownlee iced the game with two more free throws with 10 seconds to go.
Brownlee flirted with a triple-double finishing with 16 points, on 5-of-20 shooting, 12 rebounds, and nine assists for Alab while Bobby Ray Parks had 23 points and 10 boards.
Tyler Lamb led Hong Kong Eastern with 32 points while Marcus Elliott put up a 22-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist line.
PBA-bound Christian Standhardinger finished with 18 points and 15 boards for Hong Kong Eastern.