Billones saves day for Patriots in Brunei

MANILA, Philippines - Egay Billones hit the big baskets down the stretch as the Philippine Patriots survived the Brunei Barracudas, 72-67, in overtime to remain tied for the lead in the AirAsia Asean Basketball League Season 2 Saturday at the Brunei Indoor Stadium in Brunei.

Billones scored seven of his 14 points in the extra period to help the RP Patriots notch their third straight win even without imports Donald Little and Anthony Johnson.

The 6-foot-10 Little fouled out with 3:45 in extension just after giving the RP Patriots a 65-61 lead on a jam.

Johnson did not suit up again as he was still recuperating from a hamstring injury.

With the win, the RP Patriots matched Chang Thailand Slammers’ 3-0 card after the latter cruised to an 84-63 rout of Indonesia’s Satria Muda BritAma.

Without Little, who finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, Billones took over, banging in five straight points, including a triple that virtually took the fight out of the Barracudas, 70-67, 1:42 left.

Brunei import Fil-Am Ramsey Williams had the chance to put the hosts closer, but his layup rimmed out in the next play.

Warren Ybanez’s charities off Williams foul with 3.6 seconds left pegged the final count.

“I expected him (Billones) to take over because he had already helped me win two titles here in Brunei,” said Patriots coach Louie Alas, referring to the 1999 Southeast Asian Games and the 1997 SEABA 22-and-under crowns.

The 6-foot-5 Junjun Cabatu finished with 16 points, including a triple with 7.1 seconds left that sent the game into overtime.

Cabatu’s triple came on the heels of his heroics in the team’s scrambling 62-59 win over the Singapore Slingers at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig last week.

“I’m very satisfied with the locals because they really carried the team in the final four minutes,” Alas said.

The RP Patriots actually looked headed for a cruise after erecting a 55-45 lead at the start of the fourth.

But the Barracudas fought back behind Filipino imports Chester Tolomia and Bryan Faundo and American Chris Garnett and Cris Commons, who put Brunei on top, 61-58, with a split 13.3 seconds left in regulation.