Patriots vow comeback versus Indon Warriors

MANILA, Philippines - The AirAsia Philippine Patriots hope to recover from their setback to the San Miguel Beermen as they gear up against another tough contender in the Indonesia Warriors this weekend at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

The Patriots yielded a 70-78 setback to the Beermen last Saturday, dropping to a five-way tie at 1-1 and enabling Westports Malaysia to grab the lead with a 2-0 mark in the early going of the tournament.

But the 2010 champions will be facing an Indonesian squad also raring to bounce back from an 80-93 loss to the fancied Dragons in Malaysia over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Beermen, who lost to the Dragons in overtime last week, go for their second straight victory as they take on the Chang Thailand side in Bangkok on Sunday.

Against the Patriots, the Beermen relied on Dalron Johnson’s double-double performance of 23 points and 11 rebounds. The 6-9 import also had three assists and two shot blocks to help the Beermen avoid falling to a 0-2 start in their maiden stint in the league.

The Beermen also drew big games from new import Doug Thomas and locals Leo Avenido, June Mar Fajardo and Benedict Fernandez to beat the Patriots

“I knew it’s going to be a tough game for us but the guys played very well,” said SMB coach Bobby Parks. “And I take my hat off to the Patriots. They came to play.”