Pals, Realtors triumph

Pals, Realtors triumph

By: Elmer Manuel & Zean Macamay Source: www.journal.com.ph

HIGHLY-favored Gabe Norwood throws down a two-handed slam in the dunk contest of the PBL Showcase at The Arena in San Juan. The Fil-Am guard of Hapee Toothpaste didn’t disappoint and easily topped the contest. RAUL GUERRERO Standings W L Red Bull 5 2 Coca-Cola 5 2 Talk N Text 5 2 Magnolia 4 3 Air21 3 3 Purefoods 2 4 Alaska 2 5 Welcoat 2 5 Ginebra 1 5 Games Wednesday (Araneta Coliseum) 4:50 p.m. -- Sta. Lucia vs. Red Bull 7:20 p.m. -- Ginebra vs. Air21 DEFENSE once again proved to be the best offense for Talk N Text. After being down by five in the waning minutes of the game, the wall-like defense of the Phone Pals made way to a thrilling 98-96 victory over the Alaska Aces in the resumption of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum last night. The win elevated the Phone Pals to a three-way tie in the standings with Red Bull and Coca-Cola with identical 5-2 win-loss slates, while the Aces suffered its second straight setback and skidded to 2-5. Mac Cardona led the charge of the Phone Pals, contributing 31 points and was eventually named Best Player of the Game. Actually, the Aces were held scoreless in the last two minutes of the payoff period, as the Phone Pals forced the Aces to commit turnovers one after another to finally seal their third straight win. Willie Miller finished with 22 points, while Randy Holcomb -- fresh from a one-game suspension -- contributed 17 points for the Aces’ losing cause. Meanwhile, Sta. Lucia cruised to a 111-97 win against Welcoat, in the first game. The Realtors scored all but two of the game’s first 19 points and then quelled the Dragons’ rally in the third quarter to cruise to a 111-97 win, snapping a two-game losing skid last night in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum. Sta. Lucia held imports Marquis Gainous and Corey Santee scoreless in the first quarter on a combined 0-of-7 shooting -- perhaps a first in league history -- and surged ahead by as many as 25 points (55-30) to send Welcoat crashing back to earth after upset wins over Purefoods and Magnolia. “Welcoat is a very dangerous team,” said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez. “But I really appreciated the boys’ defense today. It’s nice to get a win again.” The Dragons were eyeing to register a franchise-first three-game winning run. But it was clear from the start that achieving that milestone would take a lot of effort, especially for the two reinforcements. Gainous and Santee simply did not have the touch and the aggressiveness and apparently were slowed down by Sta. Lucia’s defense. The two only combined for six points after the first half on a horrible 2-of-13 shooting. Still, the Dragons were able to make things interesting when they slashed the deficit to 71-62 after Jay-R Reyes converted on a follow-up with 5:02 remaining before the final period. But Ryan Reyes scored seven points and had a perfect fastbreak pass to Norman Gonzales in a rally-defusing 10-2 run, lifting the Realtors back into safer grounds at 81-74. Wesley Wilson scored 24 points and pulled down 9 rebounds while Reyes had 14 of his 19 points in the second half for the Realtors, who moved up to 4-2 (win-loss). The scores: First game Sta. Lucia (111) -- Wilson 24, Reyes 19, Daa 11, Williams 10, Yeo 9, Omolon 8, Espino 8, Gonzales 8, Mamaclay 5, Miranda 4, Mendoza 3, Aquino 2, Pua 0. Welcoat (97) -- Reyes 23, Gainous 14, Santee 12, Mente 12, De Vance 10, Arana 8, Wainwright 7, Salangsang 3, Sta. Maria 3, Baguion 2, Gelig 2, Dulay 1, Isip 0, Ibanes 0. Quarterscores: 29-15, 61-40, 83-69, 111-97. Second game Talk N’ Text (98) -- Cardona 31, McGhee 16, Washington 11, Allado 10, Alapag 9, Carey 8, De Ocampo 5, Peek 4, Ritualo 4, Ferreria 0, Chia 0. Alaska (96) -- Miller 22, Holcomb 17, Hugnatan 14, Cariaso 12, Tenorio 8, Thoss 8, Fonacier 6, Dela Cruz 6, Ferriols 3, Laure 0. Quarterscores: 21-19, 46-45, 73-67, 98-96.