Patriots coach wants 'consistent defense' from wards

The Philippine Patriots will have to play solid defense for the entire game if they want to erect a 2-0 lead against Satria Muda BritAma in their best-of-five Asean Basketball League Finals. “We were very inconsistent defensively in Game One. Our job will be a lot easier if we can be consistent on the defensive end," said coach Louie Alas, analyzing what happened in Game One which the Patriots won, 78-68, Friday night at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

With their defense somewhat softening, the Patriots blew a seven-point halftime lead and allowed Satria Muda BritAma to take a 56-50 lead early in the third canto. The Patriots only went berserk in the final 10 minutes of play to score the win and jump the gun on the visiting Indonesian team, spearheaded by Gabe Freeman who exploded with a league-high 39 points and inspired keys runs when the visitors were threatening. Freeman scored six straight points to ice the count one last time before Warren Ybañez and Jaypee Alcaraz ended the third quarter with back-to-back baskets to give the Patriots a 60-58 lead. There was no stopping the Patriots from extending their winning streak at home to 10 as Freeman scored six in a 12-2 bomb that pushed the hosts to a 72-60 advantage halfway through the final quarter. Freeman also had 14 rebounds while fellow import Jason Dixon added 13 points and 17 boards. The 6'10" Dixon also played solid defense against Indonesian import Nakiea Miller, whom he held down to just three points in the final period. Miller finished with 22 points, aside from 10 rebounds and three blocks. Alexander Hartman, who scored 30 points in the Indonesians’ semis-clinching win over the Singapore Slingers, was limited to just 12 points on a poor 4-of-15 shooting. Freeman said he just did what he needed to do to help the team win. “But we have to take this game seriously. We have to come out with better intensity in Game Two," said Freeman. His statement was echoed by Alas, who hopes his locals will be able to contribute and not just rely on the efforts of their two imports next time. “My worry is the players’ tendency to rely too much on the scoring abilities of our imports. They feel if we can outscore our rival we can win but the true barometer of this team is defense and I hope they will learn from this experience," Alas said. Game Two will be held on February 17 at The Arena in San Juan starting at 8 pm. - GMANews.TV