Road Warriors go back to back

MANILA, Philippines - The NLEX Road Warriors stood their ground in the face of Freego Jeans Makers last-ditch move to stay alive, hacking out an 89-75 decision to capture the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup crown at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.

The Road Warriors overcame the Jeans Makers’ tough challenge to complete a two-game sweep of the best-of-three series for their second straight championship following their Foundation Cup title conquest.

NLEX clobbered Freego Jeans, 75-51, in Game One Friday.

The Road Warriors rode high on the exploits of Fil-Am players Christopher Allna Ellis and Clifforn Marion Hodge in the second half.

“They (Ellis and Hodge) showed tremendous energy in the second half helping us big time,” said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.

Ellis topscored with 20 points including 10 in the third quarter while Hodge grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds that went with 15 points and six blocks.

Ellis led NLEX’s decisive third-quarter assault that had the Road Warriors wiping out a 41-45 halftime deficit and building a 65-48 cushion going into the payoff period.

Freego, which lost its first two games to NLEX by blowouts, relied on steady shooting and a methodical defense in setting the pace in the first half.

But then Ellis and Hodge turned things around in the final half.

“We threw everything at them,” said Freego mentor Leo Austria. “But they’re just too strong, too deep and more experienced. It’s really hard to beat a team like that. They deserve the championship.”

Calvin Abueva also produced solid numbers with 17 points, 12 rebounds and three assists while Garvo Lanete chipped in nine points.

RR Garcia and Eman Monfort, teammates of Ellis, Hodge and Lanete in the Sinag Pilipinas team that won the gold medal in the last SEA Games in Indonesia, did their part in playing the point guard position very well. They combined for 12 assists.

“I have to give it to the players. They really wanted to win this championship and they worked hard for it,” said Fernandez, a one-time champion coach in the PBA with Sta. Lucia Realty.