Back into the groove


San Miguel is on a roll, with the Beermen cruising to their fifth straight win with an 80-55 crushing of the Saigon Heat on Sunday in the fourth Asean Basketball League at the Tan Binh Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Chris Banchero scattered 20 points while imports Brian Williams and Justin Williams combined for 26 rebounds to spearhead the Beermen’s 39-19 edge in the battle of the boards.

It was Banchero's second 20-point game in San Miguel's five-game winning run as the do-it-all guard posted an average of 19 markers per outing.

Brian Williams added 16 points while Justin Williams, who also had a team-high four block shots and four steals, contributed 11 more for the 8-3 Beermen, who is now a full game behind defending champion Indonesia Warriors (9-3).

The Beermen has not lost since absorbing an 82-76 setback against the Westports Malaysia Dragons on February 16.

It was also the fourth straight game that the Beermen has held an opponent to under 60 points, with San Miguel also coasting to a 73-53 triumph over the Singapore Slingers on March 15.

"The focus might have been the change of imports in the past few games, but if you look closely, it is mainly the locals embracing the defensive system I was trying to teach them," said San Miguel coach Leo Austria.

"Good defense is the key to a good offense. That has been the key for us in breaking the win-loss pattern and that will be the key to winning more games in this tournament," added Austria.

The Beermen will visit the Slingers on March 24 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to end its four-game road trip. The March 24 match-up with the Slingers is also the start of a three-game series against the Singapore-based team.

San Miguel will host back-to-back games against Singapore on April 6 and 13 at the Ynares Sports Arena.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bishop Hagemoen challenges pilgrims to be Prophets of the New Millennium

Image
SASKATOON — As Catholic youth gear up for the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Bishop Mark Hagemoen urged those who participated in the Mount Carmel Pilgrimage Site to embrace their role as prophets of the new millennium. On the Day of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel feast, hundreds of pilgrims gathered at the Mount Carmel Pilgrimage site on Sunday, July 16, to participate in the annual liturgical services, and the day commenced with the recitation of the rosary and Marian hymns, culminating in a concelebrated mass led by Bishop Hagemoen. Bishop Mark Hagemoen During his homily, Bishop Hagemoen echoed the words of Pope Francis, calling on the pilgrims to embrace their prophetic calling and spread God's word to all. He emphasized that each individual, through baptism, has received the gift of Messianic prophecy, becoming a prophet themselves. "The pope says, ‘Each of us, brothers and sisters, is a prophet. In fact, with baptism, let us all receive the gift of the Messian
Read more

Papal visit hopes to repair relationship with Indigenous Peoples

Image
SASKATOON — The Vatican has released the official itinerary of Pope Francis with the pontiff heading straight to Edmonton to make his first visit to Canada to meet with Indigenous Peoples, especially residential school survivors. The Holy Father will leave Rome on July 24, Thursday, at 9:00 a.m. local time and will arrive at the Edmonton International Airport for the official welcome at 11:20 a.m. the same day. Rome is eight hours ahead of Alberta, which follows mountain daylight time. The theme of the papal visit is “Walking Together” which will focus on reconciliation and healing the strained relationship between the Catholic church and Indigenous Peoples, especially the survivors of the abuses caused by attending the Canadian residential school system. Pope Francis’ six-day trip is a combination of public and private events and meetings, especially with Indigenous Peoples. The visit comes after a few months when a historic meeting between First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegates in
Read more

A letter to Tatay

SASKATOON—My father died in February 2018, more than a month after our last vacation in the Philippines where we get to spend Christmas and New Year with our family and friends. I have no idea that would be the last time we would see Tatay alive, the last time he would see my family and spend time with two (Macky and Nathan) of his more than 10 grandchildren, and the last time I would speak to him in person and my last time to mano before heading to the airport the early morning of Jan. 9, 2018. He died while we were back on Saipan, thousands of kilometres away east of the Philippines; while I was busy covering House and Senate sessions at the CNMI Legislature or busy hounding the governor about a local or federal issue, and while I was working on an island surrounded by the ocean in the Western Pacific. I haven't mentioned this to anyone—and I'm not sure if Nanay or my sister who was then taking care of him remembers this—but I got furious at him when we talked on the ph
Read more