Game on Sunday
(Singapore Indoor Stadium)
4 p.m. — Singapore Slingers vs RP Patriots

The Philippine Patriots are still ecstatic after winning their opening game against Indonesia’s Satria Muda Britama over the weekend but they have to raise their game a notch higher if they want to make two in a row in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) Invitational Championship.

“It’s nice to win your first game because it gives you more confidence. But in this case, we have to be more aggressive and smarter,” said co-team owner Dr. Mikee Romero of Harbour Centre. “We have to play solid basketball for 40 minutes, we can’t afford to play good basketball only in the fourth quarter if we want to win again.”

Romero’s concern is understandable since the Patriots will be up against the formidable Singapore Slingers on Sunday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Romero and co-team owner Tony Boy Cojuangco of ABC-5 admit the Patriots are in for a big trouble unless they come up with another superb defense which they used in full force in downing the Indons, 76-69, at the Britama Arena in Jakarta last Saturday.

“We really have to play tough defense,” said Romero, who is determined to add the ABL championship to his cabinet of trophies after winning seven PBL titles, one SEABA championship and another gold medal in the 2007 SEA Games.

While the Patriots relied on their “Big D” to beat the Indons, the Slingers banked on the offensive efforts of imports – Americans Mike LeBlanc and Kyle Jeffer and Filipino Al Vergara – to grill the Brunei Barracudas, 87-69, last Sunday in Singapore.

LeBlanc, who played for the Philippine team in the SEABA Championship last year, and Jeffer combined for 35 points and 30 rebounds while Vergara, a popular figure in Singapore, finished with 10 points and eight assists.

The Slingers, who beat San Miguel Beer of PBA, 71-65, even boasted that they could have played much better if the Barracudas, bannered by five imports, including three Filipinos – Kiko Adriano, Don Camaso and Leo Avenido – gave them strong competition.

Romero and team manager Erick Arejola, however, are convinced that coaches Bogs Adornardo and Ryan Dy can rise to the challenge. Adornado and Dy called the shots for the Patriots the last time in the absence of coach Louie Alas, who is preparing Letran for the Final Four war in the NCAA.