Common goal

When they returned to the Philippines in January, Justin Brownlee wanted to uphold his reputation as a winner, while Renaldo Balkman saw it as a chance to repair a reputation left in tatters following an outburst a few years ago in the Philippine Basketball Association that led to a lifetime ban.

The two imports also shared a common goal of taking San Miguel Alab Pilipinas to greater heights in their second season in the Asean Basketball League (ABL).

More than four months later, after a thrilling Alab victory in Game 1 of the best-of-five ABL Finals, Brownlee’s stock continues to rise while Balkman’s redemption is almost complete.

Brownlee, who has won two PBA titles as reinforcement for Barangay Ginebra, and Balkman, the former Petron import who gained notoriety for choking a teammate during a game, combined for 85 points as the Filipino club outlasted Thailand’s Mono Vampire, 143-130, in overtime on Sunday night at Santa Rosa Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Laguna.

Balkman’s tip-in with 1.3 seconds left in regulation forced overtime, where Brownlee atoned for his two free throw misses late on with a spectacular performance in overtime, scoring 10 of his ABL Finals record 46 points to boost Alab to within a couple of wins from the title. Game 2 is set Wednesday at the same venue.

“As soon as they arrived, the atmosphere within the team just improved,” said Alab coach Jimmy Alapag, whose team started the season with three straight losses.
“There was just a genuine excitement and we felt a shift to the level of commitment within the team.”

Alab wiped out a late four-point deficit thanks to a triple by Brownlee with 19 seconds remaining.
And after Mike Singletary split his free throws, Brownlee drew the fifth and last foul on Mono’s 7-foot-5 import Sam Deguara, setting the stage for Balkman’s heroics.

With Deguara out, Brownlee wreaked havoc in overtime even as Mono’s top playmaker Jason Brickman went down with cramps, leaving a huge hole for the Thais.

“In all my years of being involved in professional basketball, I’ve never seen and never been part of a game like what you saw tonight,” said Alapag whose team scored the first eight points in the extra session.

“I was amazed with the offensive showing we put on in a 45-minute game. I’m definitely not happy giving up 130 points. I’m proud of our guys. I know we have to be much better on Wednesday.”