ABL: Johnson lifts PHL Patriots past Indonesia Warriors

Import Anthony Johnson scored a game-high 33 points and the locals of the AirAsia Philippine Patriots stepped up to beat the Indonesia Warriors, 86-73, Saturday for their second win in the 3rd ASEAN Basketball League at the San Juan Gym. The Patriots improved to 2-1 win-loss card after suffering a 78-70 loss to the San Miguel Beermen last week. "This is a good win, the boys showed they can rebound from a tough loss," said Patriots head tactician Glenn Capacio. Johnson led the Patriots' offense but Al Vergara and the rest of the locals gave the much-needed support to their imports. The Filipinos' frontline, minus injured center Aldrech Ramos, managed to contain Warriors reinforcements Jonathan Smith and ex-Patriot import Steve Thomas. "I'm happy with the locals. They played well against (Steve) Thomas. We defended him well and we contained him,” said Capacio. Nakiea Miller finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds, Vergara had 14 markers, three rebounds, five assists and four steals while Ardy Larong finished with 11points for the Patriots. The Patriots go for their third win when they host expansion team Saigon Heat on Wednesday. Mario Wuysang erupted for 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc to lead the Warriors' first-half assault. He nailed four three-pointers in the first half as the visiting squad entered the break only down by two, 37-35. The Patriots managed to put some distance in the third quarter as they began with a 47-37 lead. They completely pulled away at the start of the fourth with a 10-2 run to take a 72-58 lead. — JVP, GMA News