Patriots, Beermen surge as Heat shock Dragons

MANILA, Philippines - The AirAsia Patriots and the San Miguel Beermen took the 1-2 posts in the third ASEAN Basketball League after the Saigon Heat scored a shock 70-69 win over erstwhile co-leader Westport Malaysia Dragons in Vietnam last Sunday.

Jahmar Thorpe hit two free throws with five seconds remaining as the Heat snatched a 70-69 victory over the Dragons to shove the Filipino teams to the top of the heap with 8-2 (Patriots) and 8-3 (Beermen) slates, respectively.

The Dragons slid to third with a 7-3 card.

Jonathan Jones turned in a double-double job of 19 points and 22 rebounds while Thorpe finished with 18 points for the Heat, who notched what was only their third victory against seven defeats.

The Patriots turned back the Indonesia Warriors, 72-68, in Jakarta while the Beermen walloped the Chang Thailand Slammers, 92-77, at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City last Saturday.

John Smith chipped in 14 points while former Perpetual Help standout Dom Javier hit four triples to finish with 14 points for the Heat.

Tiras Jamal Wade had a game-high 28 points, including a triple that shattered a 66-all count as the Dragons took a 69-66 lead with 45 seconds to go.

After Smith scored and moved the Heat within, 68-69, Wade turned the ball over, paving the way for Thorpe’s stint at the line after drawing a foul from Malaysian Guga Batumalai.