Contributed by reader Nards

Jakarta, Sunday, February 21, 2010 – The Philippine Patriots beat Satria Muda BritAma 75-67 to sweep the best-of-five ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) finals 3-0.

This game was a turning point for both squads – the Patriots were seeking to end the season with the crown while Satria Muda were fighting to extend the series on home court.

The Starting lineups were:

PHILIPPINE PATRIOTS – Philippines
Warren Ybanez (Cebu Ninos – Liga)
JP Alcaraz (Mandaue Landmasters – Liga)
Jerwin Gaco (Trace-Laguna Stallions – Liga)
Gabe Freeman (San Miguel Beermen – PBA)
Jason Dixon (Chinese Basketball Association)

SATRIA MUDA BRITAMA – Indonesia
Mario Wuysang (Garuda Bandung Fenix – IBL)
Youbel Sondakh (Satria Muda – IBL)
Rony Gunawan (Satria Muda – IBL)
Alex Hartman (Satria Muda – IBL)
Nakiea Miller (Satria Muda – IBL)

The first quarter favored the hosts as Satria Muda shot the lights out of the visitors and almost reaching a double-digit lead with Sondakh and Gunawan leading the way.

JP Alcaraz was subbed by Rob Wainwright (ROSE) and made two 3-pointers to close the gap for the visitors. For the first time since their first meeting in the same arena, the hosts led by a four-point margin.

Miller had to sit out in the first quarter after Gaco accidentally poked him in the eye as they tussled for a rebound.

End of 1st Quarter: Satria Muda 17 Patriots 13

The second quarter was intense physically which got both the hosts and the crowd worked up in Jakarta. Coach Alas’ defensive strategies were at work here and the visitors and the hosts exchanged leads until half-time.

Patriot Jerwin Gaco hit Satria Muda’s Rony Gunawan with an elbow which caused a bench-clearing altercation, earning himself a technical foul and giving two free throws to Satria Muda.

Gaco was replaced by Nonoy Baclao to calm things down and Jason Dixon ended the quarter with a gorilla dunk over a silenced Nakiea Miller in a final minute of a half that resembled a giant chess match.

End of 1st Half: Satria Muda 31 Patriots 35

The third quarter was a continuation of the second with the Patriots never trailed from this point on. Notably, Alex Hartman, Prihantono and Gunawan were cracking open the Patriots’ defense at points but Jason Dixon and Gabe Freeman answered with their scoring and defensive displays.

A Freeman attempt to stop Gunawan turned into a goaltending call while the quarter became a Freeman-versus-Hartman-and-the-locals shootout.

3rd Quarter: Satria Muda 51 Patriots 62

The fourth quarter started with Patriots’ Christian Coronel stripping Satria Muda’s Mario Wuysang for a lay-up to spark a Patriots run that re-established an 11-point lead.

Satria Muda answered with a series of jumpers from Hartman and Co. to catch up while the visitors went cold for the remainder of the quarter and had to rely on free throws for points.

While Miller failed, Dixon rose to the occasion and scored from the post. Nonoy Baclao garnered the rebounds before being replaced by Gaco who received a hostile reception from the crowd.

Gaco scored the final basket for the Patriots and they wound the clock before Warren Ybanez threw the ball into the air and Hartman took the opportunity to score at the buzzer.

Final Score: Satria Muda 67 Patriots 75 (Patriots win series 3–0)

Analysis:

1. “Defense wins championships” was the mantra of the Patriots and this mindset paid off in their six meetings with Satria Muda. Despite the partisan crowds and the trash talking between players, it was the swarming, relentless defense of steals, blocks and stops that gave the Patriots the first ABL championship.

Satria Muda’s defense consists mainly of collapsing on the imports and ignoring the locals and the zone defense which at first, was effective. However, they were not able to maintain the defensive effort, leaving the Patriots to score at certain angles.

In the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, their defense was lax when they should have gambled on the hard presses to snatch a possession or two.

2. The roster depth was another factor. The Patriots have at least four to five local shooters at their disposal and three enforcers who can provide ample defensive stops.

Patriots had the luxury of a 3-guard rotation that could carry the ball and direct plays during the game. When the game got tough and the starters were in foul trouble, coach Louie Alas had second or third options in Sta. Maria and Coronel at guard, Acuna, Espiritu and Mirza at forward and Baclao at center. None of them are leading scorers but they can attack the basket when necessary.

Satria Muda did not have the luxury of a guard rotation and while Prihantono and Achmed Faisal are shooters, it was Wuysang, their only legitimate point guard, who was getting harassed by the Patriots defense.

Besides Hartman, Gunawan is Satria Muda’s other scorer but coach Fictor Roring has no option aside from Youbel Sondakh. There is no third option for the forward position. Furthermore, Situmorang could not fill Miller’s role in the five spot.

3. Tempo control was important in the game because it determined the team’s performance. In the first quarter, we saw Satria Muda leading by four but they were later overtaken by the Patriots.

Why?

Because they could not seize the moment when the opportunity presented itself and probably lacked the mentality for it.

They did not take their chances and gave the Patriots time to react and reset their strategies. The Patriots have better experiences in this category and delivered the Championship.

It was a fitting end to a fantastic championship in the same arena that started it all. We have witnessed the rise of new stars that caught the respect and awe of their peers, new teams that revealed new systems and the rise of new role players who endeared themselves to fans and lastly, an emergence of a new champion that will set the tone for basketball in the ASEAN region.

Scoring Breakdown by Quarter
Satria Muda v Patriots
1st Q: 17-13
2nd Q: 14-22
3rd Q: 21-29
4th Q: 15-11

Satria Muda BritAma Game Box Score

Philippine Patriots Game Box Score

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