Patriots gun for third straight victory

THE Philippine Patriots will try to stretch their winning run to three when they face Westports Malaysia at 6 p. m. today in the 3rd Association of Southe a s t Asian Nations (ASEAN) Basketball League at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Coach Glenn Capacio’s Patriots regained their poise to remain in the second spot with a 3-1 card, just a half a game behind solo leader Singapore with a 4-1 slate.

Anchoring on their 76-62 win over the Saigon Heat last Wednesday, the Patriots are nearing their goal of regaining the crown they’ve lost to the Thailand Slammers last year.

“Our problem last time was our defense, we allowed the Heat to outrebound us, so it’s important that we play tough defense against an offensive team like Malaysia,” said team manager Erick Arejola.

Capacio is likely to lean on imports Nakiea Miller and Anthony Johnson with support from Al Vergara, Reed Juntilla, Rob Wainwright, Ardy Larong and Jonathan Fernandez.

“We can’t rely much on our imports most of the time, so they ( locals) should rise to the challenge,” added Capacio who expects the Dragons to play tougher after absorbing a 73-70 defeat from the Bangkok Cobras.

Former PBA import Tiras Wade and Brian Williams will lead the Dragons who are being mentored by former Jose Rizal University coach Ariel Vanguardia.