ABL: Alab Pilipinas suffers another tough loss against Hong Kong Eastern

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Almost but not quite. Tanduay Alab Pilipinas had a chance to score its first win of the season but fell short in the hands of Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger and the rest of Hong Kong Eastern Basketball team on Wednesday, December 13 at Changhua Stadium in Hong Kong.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a rel='nofollow' href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhOGcaCxdoL3llppRcLB1SP4eFKBgQ_ANM2q5g2D2Y0_l_7-9F4RpJnOv6aEWp91_4qma0-6v24Bo7OT81fWIszeXJfk-9HEqaSKDB-5iC12-HIBvxSZiWtIEWAzJQOaTXDw1ZmryPP_h/s1600/Christian+Standhardinger+ABL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Alab Pilipinas suffers another tough loss against Hong Kong Eastern" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhOGcaCxdoL3llppRcLB1SP4eFKBgQ_ANM2q5g2D2Y0_l_7-9F4RpJnOv6aEWp91_4qma0-6v24Bo7OT81fWIszeXJfk-9HEqaSKDB-5iC12-HIBvxSZiWtIEWAzJQOaTXDw1ZmryPP_h/s1600/Christian+Standhardinger+ABL.jpg" title="Alab Pilipinas suffers another tough loss against Hong Kong Eastern" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fil-German Christian Standhardinger posted double-double in a win against Tanduay Alab Pilipinas. Photo Credit: ASEAN Basketball League</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Hong Kong Eastern Basketball is currently enjoying the top spot of the standing with a perfect slate of 4-0 record while Tanduay Alab Pilipinas is hurting with 2 consecutive losses against Hong Kong in the opener and to Singapore just a week ago.<br /><br />After 2 games, Alab Pilipinas had a perfect start with an 8-0 run led by Bobby Ray Parks and import Reggie Okosa with the support of another local, Roby Celis. <br /><br />The game was too intense right from the start. Alab’s second import, Ivan Johnson was whistled for a Technical Foul after inadvertently hitting Ryan Moss in the head while jockeying for position while guard Josh Urbiztondo was also called for a technical for unsportsmanlike conduct.<br /><br />Hong Kong’s Asian import, Tyler Lamb, initiated the comeback as the Thai-American unleashed treys and put his team behind by just 1. 11-10 at the 3:10 mark of the 1st quarter.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Tyler Lamb and Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger combined efforts to level up the score as the 1st period clock died down but it was Alab’s Ivan Johnson who closed the quarter with a buzzer-beater three pointer. 23-20 in favor of Philippines.<br /><br />PBA Veteran, Dondon Hontiveros, made his ABL Milestone as he sank his first ever three point shot at the beginning of the second.<br /><br />Alab world imports took charge mid of the 2nd quarter and successfully posted Philippines’ largest lead of 9, while Bobby Ray Parks extended it to 11, 42-31.<br /><br />Consistent Eastern scorer Christian Standhardinger was simply unstoppable in the latter part of the 2nd period. The once Alab double-digit lead was abruptly downsized to 3, 46-43 at the end of the first half. <br /><br />Despite the slim advantage, Alab’s three-point lead was way better compared to its last 2 games where the nationals trailed their opponents after 2 quarters and eventually lost.<br /><br />Josh Urbiztondo lived up to his moniker “The Fireball” as the 6-foot guard waxed hot from the wing for a back-to-back triples as Philippines unfolded the the 2nd half. Aside from Urbiztondo’s outside sniping, offensive boards helped the Filipinos in widening their lead. <br /><br />Hong Kong world import Marcus Elliot was a sleeper in the 1st half but came alive in the third aided by Tyler Lamb to trim Alab Pilipinas’ 10-point lead to just 1 with more than 3 minutes remaining in the penultimate quarter.<br /><br />After 30 minutes of action-packed basketball, Philippines still led Hong Kong, 46-44.<br /><br />Christian Standhardinger is well-known for his quick release under the basket shots. But in this game, he showed that he’s not only good in close-ranged shots but capable of draining three pointers too. Standhardinger made quick 3 treys as the final period started.<br /><br />Standhardinger kept the energy flowing for Hong Kong. However, his co-imports got into foul trouble as they approached the 6-minute mark of the fourth. Both Elliot and Moss committed their 4th personal fouls that hinted Coach Edu Torres to bring them out and focus on his heritage imports.<br /><br />Tyler Lamb’s highly-contested layup in the middle gave Hong Kong a 1-point, 89-88 lead with 3 more minutes remaining in the ballgame. Coach Jimmy Alapag called a timeout immediately but Alab’s bench was called for a technical foul. Marcus Elliot made the technical free throw to add a point more to Hong Kong’s lead.<br /><br />Coach Edu Torres’ gamble to play his world imports in the dying minutes of the game paid off as his team escalated its margin to 8 with less than a minute left.<br /><br />Bobby Ray Parks and Reggie Okosa managed to trim the lead to just 2 but Hong Kong hanged on tight to its lead and seal the deal with another home win, 99-96 and improved to 5-0. Tanduay Alab Pilipinas on the other hand, fell at the bottom of the standings with a 0-3 record.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

ABL: Alab Pilipinas suffers another tough loss against Hong Kong Eastern

MANILA, Philippines - Almost but not quite. Tanduay Alab Pilipinas had a chance to score its first win of the season but fell short in the hands of Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger and the res…

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