Beermen score again, share ABL lead

SAN MIGUEL Beer, with Chris Banchero still on fire, downed Jobstreet.com Singapore, 68-61, at Singapore Indoor Stadium yesterday to grab a share of the lead in the Asean Basketball League (ABL).

Banchero, the Filipino-Italian guard making a strong bid for the MVP plum, fired a game-high 19 points and dished out six assists to power the Beermen to their sixth straight win.

The Beermen, who led by as many as 22 points, 61-39, going into the last eight minutes, tied idle Indonesia at 9-3.

Brian Williams posted 11 points and 11 rebounds and last year’s MVP Leo Avenido added 10 for San Miguel.

Singapore imports Donald Singleton and Phillip Morrison fueled the Slingers’ huge 22-7 windup before two Banchero free throws put the Beermen safely ahead at 67-57, with 52 seconds left.

The Beermen got off to a sizzling start, building an early double-digit advantage, 24-12, that grew to 37-22 at the break behind Banchero, Williams and RJ Rizada, who shot seven of his nine points in the first half.

San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria again credited his team for sticking to its defensive game plan, which includes holding opponents at the 60-point mark.

Singleton paced the Slingers with 17 points and 11 boards and Morrison added 14.

The Beermen will take a two-week break before their next home game versus the Slingers again on April 6 at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig. Jasmine W. Payo

The scores:
SAN MIGUEL BEER 68—Banchero 19, Williams B. 11, Avenido 10, Rizada 9, Taulava 8, Williams J. 6, Cawaling 5, Acuña 3, Hubalde 0.
JOBSTREET.COM SINGAPORE 61—Singleton 17, Morrison 14, Jones-Jennings 10, Cabatu 10, Oh 6, Wu 2, Womg 2.
Quarters: 24-12, 37-22, 58-38, 68-61