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Ahead of return to Singapore, Alab believes road games "brings us together"

Alab looks to stay hot on the road as the team goes to Singapore one more time. Glenn Tan/ABL (file photo)
By Ivan Saldajeno

PASAY--What is keeping Alab Pilipinas in the race for an outright semifinal spot in the ABL despite its struggles at home is its dominance outside the Philippines.

Alab won five of its first six games on the road, and the team seems to be performing at its finest away from home.

"Being on the road brings us much together," star local Ray-Ray Parks said.

Asked for an explanation, the six-foot-four guard said, "We're handling adversity and traveling. We're not at home. Nasa ibang country kami, pero parang magkakapatid kami sa kilos."

Coach Jimmy Alapag then added, "When you travel together, you go through experiences on the road. You really go into hostile environments."

Alapag then believes that this makes the ABL in general special.

"That's the great part about the ABL. You really feel the home-and-away [format]," he continued. "It's a huge challenge, but it's also a great opportunity for the team to really continue to build on the chemistry and the camaraderie."

Interestingly enough, Alab's next game is on the road, battling Singapore in their final meeting of the regular season at the OCBC Arena in Singapore on Sunday. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.

Their season series so far is an interesting one as both clubs won on the road, but with world imports Renaldo Balkman and Justin Brownlee around, Alapag assured that his team will get another win at the Slingers' lair and force the 2-all stalemate.

"We'll be ready. We played them earlier in the season, and this team is much, much different than the team that saw them play in the first week of the year," Alapag vowed. "The guys understand the importance on Sunday. They're up 2-1 right now, and it's important for us to even the series moving forward to the season."

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno