Fired-up Giants upset Barakos - April 22, 2007

Fired-up Giants upset Barakos

By JAY R. GOTERA

MANILA

PUREFOODS demolished Red Bull 103-89 Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum to pull off the biggest upset so far in this year’s PBA Fiesta Conference.

The Giants won despite the ejection of Marquin Chandler with a minute left before the end of the first half. In a span of 45 seconds, Chandler was whistled for two technical fouls, meriting an automatic ejection, as the Barakos ganged up on the Purefoods import.

But Chandler’s ejection only fired up the Giants, led by sweet-shooting James Yap who recorded a season-high 36 points.

Purefoods’ other players also stepped up as they engaged Red Bull in a bruising battle. Bench players like Peter Jun Simon, Don Camaso and Jondan Salvador contributed mightily in both offense and defense as the Barakos crumbled down in the face of a relentless Giants’ assault.

Red Bull tumbled to second place after suffering only its third defeat against 8 wins, allowing idle Barangay Ginebra to take the solo lead in the standings at 8-2.

The victory was just the fourth for Purefoods against seven losses as it stayed at sixth place.

Red Bull defeated Purefoods in the first round 98-88 last March 4.

In the first game, Air21 exacted vengeance on Welcoat, beating the Dragons 102-94 despite a 38-point effort by Alex Compton.

The Air21 Express lost a 103-99 overtime decision in both teams’ first meeting last March 30.

“Our mentality going into the game was to get back at Welcoat. But it was one of those nights when the goal was like a hula-hoop for Alex,” said Air21 coach Bo Perasol, so thankful that Compton missed some crucial shots in the closing minutes.

It was the second straight win for the Express, who tied the Alaska Aces in third place in the team standings with their identical 7-3 records.

Shawn Daniels recorded his second triple double in the conference of 17 points, 22 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Air21 while Mark Telan scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds and Santos added 21, including two free throws with 18 seconds remaining to give the Express a comfortable 99-94 lead.

The Express pounced on the Dragons off the boards, 61-42 and their domination of the boards also earned them a 22-13 edge off the offensive boards and 23 second chance points.

Air21 also capitalized on Welcoat’s 16 turnovers that netted them another 23 points.

The 33-year-old Compton, playing with the zest and passion of a 22-year old, went 7-of-11 from the 3-point range, 6-of-12 from the perimeter and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

By halftime he had already 25 points, including 6-of-7 from downtown to keep the Dragons within 48-54 at the break.

“I would rather score two points or zero points and win,” said Compton, the team’s assistant coach who is playing in the conference as an import.

“Getting into the playoffs is very valuable for me. I am given only the opportunity to play this conference, that’s why I want to play longer,” he added.

Welcoat picked up its eighth loss in 10 games and was foiled anew in its attempt to duplicate its three wins in the previous Philippine Cup.

The scores:

Air21 102 – Telan 23, Santos 21, Daniels 17, Canaleta 11, David 10, Arboleda 8, Dimaunahan 4, Se 4, Andaya 2, Torion 2, Bernardo 0.

Welcoat 94 – Compton 38, Sanders 19, Lopez 12, Reyes 10, Wainwright 10, Cabatu 2, Sta. Maria 2, Ibanes 1, Baguion 0, Gelig 0, Lao 0.

Quarterscores: 21-23, 54-48, 78-73, 102-94.

San Miguel 78, Sta. Lucia 61

San Miguel Beer rode the momentum of its 96-90 win over Welcoat last Sunday as it walloped Sta. Lucia Realty, 78-61, Saturday night at the Tacloban Convention Center in Tacloban, Leyte.

Improving further on their third game with import Galen Young, the Beermen earned their third win in their last four outings and pulled abreast with the Realtors and the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants at 3-7.

San Miguel finally got out of the cellar, leaving Welcoat alone at the bottom of the standings at 2-7.

Coach Siot Tangquincen and his troops are hoping to make a big charge in the second round of the eliminations to make it to the upper half of the chart for at least an outright seat in the quarterfinal round.

The team remains well on target with sixth-running Coca-Cola just a game ahead at 4-6 and No. 5 Talk n Text two games in front at 5-5.

Showing great determination, the Beermen started with a 12-2 run and dominated the hapless Realtors up to the final buzzer.

Air21 downs Yap-less Purefoods

By JAY R. GOTERA

MANILA

THE Air21 Express felled the Purefoods Giants, 102-89, Thursday night at The Arena in San Juan as the Express took advantage of the absence of ace gunner James Yap from the Purefoods lineup.

Yap could not join his ballclub as he was with his wife, actress and television host Kris Aquino, after she gave birth to their first child at the Makati Medical Center also on Thursday.

Defending slam-dunk champ KG Canaleta erupted for 30 points to lead Air21 to its sixth win in nine games.

The loss was the second straight for the Giants who were also beaten by the Barangay Ginebra Kings in Dubai last Friday. Purefoods absorbed its fifth loss in its last six games and slid to 3-7, just half-game in front of tailenders San Miguel Beer and Welcoat.

Shawn Daniels, Gary David and Wynne Arboleda also contributed mightily to the Express cause as they repeated over the Giants in a game marred by a near-fight between Purefoods’ Marquin Chandler and Air21 rookie Arwind Santos.

Emotions ran high after Chandler and Santos got entangled, causing Santos to crash to the floor. Chandler was called a personal foul while Santos and Purefoods’ Don Camaso were both assessed technical fouls in the aftermath of the near fight.

The Express whipped the Giants, 107-103, in their first meeting at the Cuneta Astrodome last March 23.

The scores:

Air21 102 – Canaleta 30, David 16, Daniels 15, Arboleda 11, Se 9, Santos 8, Torion 6, Telan 4, Dimaunahan 3.

Purefoods 89 – Chandler 26, Simon 19, Evangelista 12, Castrillo 10, Yee 8, Salvador 7, Yap 5, Camaso 2, Artadi 0, Gamboa 0.

Quarterscores: 28-15, 55-44, 79-64, 102-89.

Red Bull 100, Welcoat 71

The Red Bull Barakos made mincemeat of the Welcoat Dragons, 100-71, late Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum to regain solo leadership in the PBA Fiesta Conference.

The win was the eighth for the Barakos against two losses, keeping them half a game ahead of Barangay Ginebra and Alaska, both with a 7-2 card.

The loss sent the Dragons to the cellar in the company of San Miguel, both with a 2-7 card.

Red Bull import James Penny suffered a bruised left hand and sat out the last 20 minutes of the game after he crashed to the floor on a flagrant foul by Jay-R Reyes.

Enrico Villanueva exacted revenge for Penny later on, hacking Reyes on the head while the Welcoat rookie was going for a short stab.

The Barakos completely dominated the hapless Dragons, dealing them a third successive defeat.

Welcoat allowed Red Bull to pull away early with the Dragons shooting a paltry 28 percent from the field in the opening half.

Welcoat appeared to have a problem with its new import, Rob Sanders who was just 2-of-10 from the field and 2-of-2 from the stripe.

“Our import refused to play. He wouldn’t listen to his coach in the huddle,” lamented Welcoat co-team owner Terry Que.

Coach Leo Austria seemed to have had enough of Sanders that he decided to freeze him in the last nine minutes of the contest.

Sanders struggled for only 12 points and nine rebounds.

The scores:

Red Bull 100 – Valenzuela 19, Penny 14, Fonacier 13, Villanueva 10, Baguio 8, Sharma 7, Bugia 6, Hrabak 6, Robinson 5, Cruz 5, Alvarez 3, Najorda 2, Ybanez 2.

Welcoat 71 – Sta. Maria 13, Sanders 12, Cabatu 10, Reyes 9, Gelig 7, Wainwright 7, Lopez 5, Compton 3, Ibanes 3, Baguion 2, Lao 0.

Quarterscores: 25-15, 50-33, 80-48, 100-71.

RP beats Indons for Southeast Asia basketball crown

By JAY R. GOTERA

MANILA

THE Philippines won its first regional basketball championship after two years in the freezer Sunday night as the Harbour Centre-Philippine team walloped SM Britama-Indonesia in the finals, 85-67, to clinch the Southeast Basketball Association (SEABA) Champions Cup.

The win vindicated the Philippines’ 74-79 loss against the same Indonesian five during the preliminary round.

The win brought the Philippines’ first international title in two years since it was suspended by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) over the country’s internal squabble on basketball affairs.

Playmaker Marvin Cruz led the Filipinos with a team-high 20 points while import Julius Nwosu provided additional firepower with a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds. Jonathan Fernandez and JC Intal also helped from outside the arc to add 16 and 12, respectively.

Coach Junel Baculi said their SEABA win was considered the sweetest since it marked the resurrection of Philippine basketball.

Meanwhile in PBA Fiesta Conference games, San Miguel had some scary moments before pulling off a 96-90 victory over Welcoat Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The win was only the second for the Beermen against seven losses. They remained at the bottom of the standings a rung lower than the Welcoat Dragons who had a 2-6 card.

In the first game, Willie Miller led Alaska in demolishing Sta. Lucia, 103-88, as the Aces kept abreast of idle Red Bull Barakos and Barangay Ginebra Kings at the top of the standings with a 7-2 card.

The San Miguel Beermen erected a 10-point lead, 91-81, going into the last two minutes of the game.

But as the fans were starting to make a bee-line for the exit at the Araneta Coliseum thinking that a San Miguel victory was assured, the Dragons suddenly uncork a nine-to-nothing run led by Alex Compton to cut the Beermen’s lead to just one, 91-90, going into the last 40 minutes of play.

But the Beermen regrouped in time despite the fouling out of import Galen Young to blunt Welcoat’s ambitions.

In the first game, the Alaska Aces outplayed the Realtors in key departments as coach Tim Cone assured himself of a stint in the league’s mid-year spectacle as coach of the South All-Stars team. The squad has Danny Seigle, Eric Menk, Dondon Hontiveros, Asi Taulava and James Yap as starters.

It will be Cone’s fifth stint in the annual classic, which will enable him to tie Sonny Jaworski and Derick Pumaren for most All-Star Game coaching jobs since the event was institutionalized in 1989.

The North All-Stars will be coached by Barangay Ginebra’s Jong Uichico.

Miller finished with 21 points, the same output tallied by import Rosell Ellis, who also had 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals as the Aces pounced on the Realtors off the boards, 52-44.

Miller, who shot 8-of-16, including 2-for-3 from the 3-point range, scored 11 points in the first quarter as the Aces took control early and never trailed after closing the quarter up 32-23.

Realtor rookie Kelly Williams led all scorers with 28 points but couldn’t provide spark when Sta. Lucia needed to get back in the game.

The Realtors struggled offensively all night, making just 39 percent of their shots.

Meantime in Carson City, California, Mark Caguioa scored 23 points and Danny Seigle added 21 Friday as Philippines-San Miguel wrapped up its two-week training in the States by shocking the Long Beach State 49ers, a US NCAA Division I school, 93-89, at the Home Depot Center.

Caguioa and Seigle carried the brunt of the Philippines’ second half comeback from double-digit deficits against the bigger, faster 49ers, but it was Jimmy Alapag who provided the crucial baskets as he tied the game 89-all with a three-point shot.

Seigle then hit two free throws with 20 seconds remaining, following a Long Beach miss, to give Philippines-San Miguel a 91-89 lead. Alapag, fouled with four seconds left, sank two free throws to ice the game.

The scores:

Alaska 103 – Miller 21, Ellis 21, Thoss 14, Laure 14, Cariaso 10, Hugnatan 9, Belasco 9, Ferriols 5, Aban 0, Bajar 0, Juinio 0.

Sta. Lucia 88 – Williams 28, Winston 17, Miranda 9, Espino 8, Aquino 6, Omolon 5, Mendoza 5, Catli 3, Gonzales 3, Magsumbol 2, Isip 2, Bughao 0, Santos 0.

Quarterscores: 32-23, 55-45, 78-57, 103-88.

Kings maul Giants in Dubai as Red Bull, Coke win -- April 13, 2007

Kings maul Giants in Dubai as Red Bull, Coke win

By JAY R. GOTERA
MANILA
THE Barangay Ginebra Kings downed the Purefoods Giants, 92-82, Friday night at the Al Ahli Sports Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to remain on top of the standings in PBA Fiesta Cup.

Red Bull kept pace with Ginebra, both with a 7-2 card, as the Barakos mauled the Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals, 102-93, at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

In the first of the rare three-game PBA offering, the Coca-Cola Tigers turned back the Air21 Express, 123-111.

In Dubai, thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) jammed the Al-Ahli Sports Club as Ginebra, still playing minus six key players, dealt Purefoods its sixth defeat against only three wins.

The match was the first official PBA game in the Middle East.

Earlier, OFWs swarmed their favorite players from both Ginebra and Purefoods while clicking away with their digicams and cellphone cameras for souvenir shots.

Meanwhile at the Araneta Coliseum, Red Bull led all the way to hand Talk ‘N Text its second straight defeat, its fifth overall against three wins.

Talk ‘N Text tried several times to catch up with Red Bull, but the Phone Pals came no closer than eight points in the final canto as Red Bulls’ James Penny and Carlo Sharma doused cold water on the rallying Phone Pals.

In the first game, Coca-Cola’s Anthony Johnson came up with another big game while new acquisitions delivered big numbers to power the Tigers past the Express.

Johnson celebrated his 28th birthday by scoring 28 points and pulling down 18 rebounds as the Tigers snapped a four-game skid and improved their win-loss record to 4-5. The Express dropped to 5-3.

The 6-foot-6 Johnson shot 8-of-12 from the field and 10-of-14 from the foul line.

John Arigo contributed 23 points while Chester Tolomia and Ali Peek chipped in 14 and 13 markers, respectively, for the Tigers.

New acquisitions Alex Cabagnot, Ricky Calimag and Kenneth Duremdes, part of a five-player trade between Coca-Cola and Sta. Lucia Realty last week, displayed fine form and jelled well with their new teammates in just their second game with the Tigers.

Cabagnot, a second-year guard, wound up with 14 points and five assists, Calimag chalked up 13 points and hauled down five rebounds while former MVP Duremdes chipped in eight points.

Down 92-94, Coca-Cola went on a 15-4 run in the final frame with Johnson scoring six points and Duremdes drilling in a huge triple that gave the Tigers a 107-98 lead with 4:12 remaining.

The Express closed in at 102-109 on a jumper by Arwind Santos with 3:32 to go but the Tigers were quick to respond, with Cabagnot scoring on a quick layup and Arigo hitting two from the stripe off a foul by Wynne Arboleda to make it 113-102 with 2:32 left in the game.

Mark Telan led Air21 with 21 points while import Shawn Daniels and guard Gary David had 20 points apiece.

Meanwhile, “Dynamite” Danny Seigle emerged as the top vote-getter among the starters for the 2007 PBA All-Star Game this coming April 29 and will anchor the South All-Stars aiming for a back-to-back win against their North counterparts.
The San Miguel scoring machine tallied a total of 118,260 votes, to lead the voting for this year’s mid-season classic for the first time in this career.

A member of the all-pro RP Team that will try to earn a spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Seigle makes up the starting unit for the South along with other leading vote-getters Eric Menk of Barangay Ginebra (104,784), San Miguel teammate Dondon Hontiveros (83,808), Purefoods guard James Yap (106, 004)and Talk ‘N Text big man Asi Taulava (79,000).

The North squad is bannered by the popular Barangay Ginebra backcourt of Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand, who received 101,172 and 96,204 votes, respectively.

The Kings’ “Fast & Furious” tandem will team up with Purefoods’ Kerby Raymundo (41,884 votes) and the San Miguel duo of Danny Ildefonso (50,392) and Romel Adducul (63,384) in forming the Northeners’ starting five.

The South All-Stars beat the North All-Stars by a cliffhanger 122-120 in last year’s event in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental with Taulava winning his second All-Star Game MVP trophy in three years.

Alaska extends San Miguel's woes -- April 11, 2007

Alaska extends San Miguel’s woes

By JAY R. GOTERA
MANILA
ALASKA drubbed San Miguel, 94-84, Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum to
join Red Bull and Barangay Ginebra at the top of the standings in the PBA Fiesta Conference with a 6-2 card.

The loss was the seventh for the Beermen against a single win as they hugged the bottom of the standings.

San Miguel’s highly touted import, Galen Young, struggled throughout the game, scoring only 12 points. It was far from the expectation of San Miguel’s management since Young came fresh from a championship with the Yakima Sun Kings in the Continental Basketball Association in the United States wherein he was adjudged the Most Valuable Player.

Willie Miller led Alaska with 25 points.

Rosell Ellis, whom Alaska chose to recruit for this conference after Young refused to return to the team he first played for in the 2004 Fiesta Conference, played splendid basketball on both ends of the court, finishing with 23 points, 18 rebounds, eight assists, two shotblocks and one steal. He was also responsible for handcuffing Young who shot a terrible 4-for-23 from the field.

With six players scoring eight points or more, Alaska led by as much as 20 points early in the fourth period.

The Beermen, who had six players finishing in double figures led by the 13 of rookie L.A. Tenorio, rallied and came to within seven points with four minutes left in the game. But Ellis came through with a rare triple – his first in the conference in only his second attempt overall – to douse cold water on the SMB rally.

In the first game, Sta. Lucia downed Coca-Cola, 103-100, as the Realtors proved to have gotten the better end of a five-player trade deal with the Tigers.

Former Tiger Denok Miranda anchored Sta. Lucia’s attack, scoring 13 points and providing the much needed hustle and spunk for the Realtors.

Rock Winston also had a stellar performance particularly on the defensive end as the Realtors bounced back from a 101-112 defeat against the Barangay Ginebra Kings last Sunday to improve to 3-4.

The Sta. Lucia import led all scorers with 29 points which came with his 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals in 43 minutes – his second best performance in the conference. He capped his standout game by slowing down Coca-Cola import Anthony Johnson and holding him to just six points in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.

The Realtors turned the game around in the final 2:46 using a 9-0 run staring Miranda, Winston and rookie Kelly Williams.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Tigers who kept the game close and appeared to have it well under control when Ali Peek, who finished with 19 points, gave them an 81-74 lead early in the fourth.

But the Tigers couldn’t hold on.

Johnson finished with a team-best 26 points but had just six in the fourth quarter as the Tigers picked up their fourth straight loss and fifth in eight games overall.

The Tigers -- who gave up Miranda, Manny Ramos and their 2008 second round pick, for Kenneth Duremdes, Alex Cabagnot and Ricky Calimag -- got a combined 31 points from the trio but 19 turnovers – six in the fourth canto -- cost them the game.

The scores:

First Game
Sta. Lucia 103 – Winston 29, Williams 20, Espino 17, Miranda 3, Omolon 10, Gonzales 5, Aquino 4, Catli 3, Bughao 2, Isip 0, Santos 0, Mendoza 0.
Coca-Cola 100 – Johnson 26, Peek 19, Cabagnot 14, Calimag 11, Arigo 11, Antonio 10, Duremdes 6, Tolomia 3, Avenido 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20, 48-47, 74-76, 103-100.

Second Game

Alaska 94 – Miller 25, Ellis 23, Cariaso 12, Thoss 10, Hugnatan 8, Belasco 8, Laure 6, Ferriols 2, Aban , Bajar 0, Juinio 0.
San Miguel Beer 84 – Tenorio 13, Young 12, Calaguio 12, Ildefonso 12, Racela 10, Pena 10, Wilson 8, Gonzales 5, Cablay 2, Espinas 0, Adducul 0, Adriano 0.

Meanwhile in Carson City, California, Team Philippines, showing off a potential 12th player in George Mason University standout Gabe Norwood, posted win No. 3, beating a selection of American amateur players and aspiring pros, 98-74, before a crowd of close to 300 Filipino-Americans at the Home Depot Center.

Starting with the same unit as the last game, the Nationals raced to a quick 12-0 lead, forcing the opposing coach to call an early timeout. Inspired by the presence of his relatives, Mark Caguioa opened up scoring with a three-point shot, before Asi Taulava and Ranidel de Ocampo took turns attacking the hoop for that dozen-point spread.

The Americans came back strong behind CCA all-conference member Johntae Vincent and ABA veteran Phil Givens to close out the first-quarter down by only 30-24.

Shortly before the quarter ended, Norwood entered the game and immediately made his presence felt via a thunderous slam off a behind the back pass from Jimmy Alapag. Norwood went on to score on a variety of jumpers while running the offense.

The combination of Norwood, Danny Seigle, Caguioa, Mick Pennisi and Kerby Raymundo conspired to tow the Philippines to a commanding 58-42 advantage at halftime.
The Americans never got any closer the rest of the way as Team Philippines continued applying the pressure until the final buzzer.

The scores:

RP-San Miguel – Seigle 21, Caguioa 18, Pennisi 13, de Ocampo 11, Helterbrand 10, Taulava 8, Norwood 8, Raymundo 4, Alapag 4, dela Cruz 2, Ritualo 2. (Hontiveros DNP due to injury)
US Selection – Vincent 21, Givens 15, Bewer 10, Yamatz 8, Bryant 8, Meiller 4, Rivers 4, Lawrence 4, Hamilton 0.

Kings whip Barakos anew to take lead - April 8, 2007

By JAY R. GOTERA

MANILA
UNDERMANNED but still wielding lethal firepower, Barangay Ginebra thrashed Red Bull, 100-86, Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum to take joint first place with the Barakos in the PBA Fiesta Conference.

It was the Kings’ second defeat of the Barakos this conference, and Ginebra won it despite losing yet another key player to injury.

Star center Erik Menk sat out the game for the Kings as he re-injured his calf muscle during practice. Menk joined Rafi Reavis (shoulder fracture) and Johnny Abarrientos (groin injury) in sick bay, while Rudy Hatfield remained on AWOL status after leaving for the United States to sort out a personal problem with his fiancée.

Moreover, the backcourt duo of Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand are still with the Philippine national team.

But despite playing with a severely depleted lineup, Ginebra dished out an A-1 game as the Kings led from start to finish.

Scoring dynamo Rod Neally, high-flying Ronald Tubid and sharp-shooting Sunday Salvacion led the Kings to their sixth win in eight games.

Ginebra raced to a 24-point lead in the second quarter. But in the third canto, the Barakos made a strong comeback to close to within two, 75-73, at the end of the period.

But Red Bull lost steam in the fourth quarter as the Kings regained composure to finish off the Barakos.

In the second game, Purefoods prevailed over Welcoat, 94-82, as the Dragons lost their import Charles Clark to injury just three minutes into the game.

The Marquin Chandler-led Giants proved too much for the all-Filipino Welcoat squad as the Dragons fell to their fifth loss in seven games.

But it was reigning Most Valuable Player James Yap who actually spearheaded the Giants’ assault on the Dragons as he collected 30 points.

It was just the third victory in eight games for Purefoods but coach Ryan Gregorio said the impressive win appeared to signal the team’s resurgence.

“It was unfortunate that Welcoat had to battle us without their import. But we’ll take this (win),” said Gregorio.

“Hopefully, this will be our first step climbing up the ladder. We are working hard to play consistently and hopefully we’ll be able to get out of the rut,” he said.

Disaster struck Welcoat just three minutes into the game when Clark, who averaged 30 points and 11 rebounds per game, sprained a toe on his right foot on a bad fall. He left the game and never returned.

Even without their import, the Dragons tried to mount a rally but poor shooting led to their downfall.

Alex Compton scored a PBA career-best 24 points, including 4-of-9 from three-point range, and rookie Jireh Ibanes had 16 to show the way for the Dragons, who picked up their fifth defeat in eight games and dropped ninth place.

The scores:

Purefoods 94 – Yap J. 30, Chandler 20, Yap R. 14, Yee 9, Artadi 8, Limpot 8, Castillo 3, Salvador 2, Evangelista 0.
Welcoat 82 – Compton 24, Ibanes 16, Reyes 10, Sta. Maria 7, Lopez 6, Wainwright 6, Cabatu 5, Gelig 4, Lao 4, Clark 0, Baguion 0.
Quarterscores: 25-9, 57-32, 71-52, 94-82.

Meanwhile, the Philippine national basketball team crushed Cal State-Dominguez Hills, an NCAA Division-II school in the United States, 90-71, at the Home Depot Training Center in Carson City, California.

With Jayjay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa, Tony de la Cruz, Ranidel de Ocampo and Asi Taulava as its starting five, Philippines-San Miguel opened a 7-0 lead that appeared to surprise the Dominguez Hills Toros.

Caguioa finished with 22 points while Danny Seigle came off the bench with 14.
Behind their leader Jamel Barnes, the Toros closed the gap halfway through the period. But the Nationals’ second unit – Jimmy Alapag, Dondon Hontiveros, Kerby Raymundo, Mick Pennisi and Seigle – restored the advantage and set Team Philippines on the road to a 31-16 first quarter breakaway.

The Toros tried to rattle the Filipinos with a 1-3-1 defense, but Renren Ritualo, Hontiveros and Pennisi brought Cal-State right out of the zone with long-range bombs from beyond the arc.

The lead was 48-28 at the half, a bulge RP-San Miguel maintained at the end of three quarters, 70-50.

The scores:

RP-SAN MIGUEL 90 – Caguioa 22, Seigle 16, De la Cruz 14, Pennisi 9, Raymundo 8, Taulava 6, Hontiveros 4, Ritualo 3, Alapag 3, De Ocampo 3, Helterbrand 2.
CAL STATE-DOMINGUEZ – Ward 16, Walton 14, Steed 10, Nibo 9, Barnes 6, Love 4, Isaac 4, Fowler 2, Ramey 2, Duhon 2, Johnson 0.
Quarters: 31-16; 48-28; 70-50; 90-71.

In other developments, Sta. Lucia and Coca-Cola have agreed to a multi-player swap with the Realtors dealing Kenneth Duremdes -- the 1998 PBA Most Valuable Player – along with sophomore guard Alex Cabagnot and reserve forward Ricky Calimag to Coca-Cola.

Duremdes will now be playing alongside former teammates John Arigo and Ali Peek when the Coca-Cola Tigers collide with the Realtors on Wednesday.

In return, the Tigers, who were removed from the San Miguel Corporation umbrella following the sale of Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc. to The Coca-Cola Company, gave up former Far Eastern U point guard Dennis Miranda, substitute center Manny Ramos and Coke’s second round pick in the 2008 Rookie Draft.

Duremdes, now 33 and one of the league’s 25 greatest players, said he feels sad about the development but at the same time excited to face a new challenge in his career.

San Miguel scores first win - April 4, 2007

By JAY R. GOTERA

The Saudi Gazette

MANILA

SAN Miguel finally broke into the win column after seven games, beating Talk ‘N Text, 108-103, Wednesday night in PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

The firepower of San Miguel’s Paul McMillan proved too much for the Phone Pals as they fell to 3-4 in the standings in a tie with Coca-Cola for fifth and sixth places.

McMillan scored 41 points and collected 18 rebounds as he shrugged off early foul trouble to help San Miguel notch only its first win in 11 games going back to the best-of-seven finals of the last PBA Philippine Cup where it lost to Barangay Ginebra after winning the first two games of the series.

Olsen Racela also played a crucial role in San Miguel’s victory as he knocked in 13 points, including three three-pointers in the second half which stymied the rallying Phone Pals.

In the first game, Air21 routed Alaska, 116-104, as the Express tied the Aces and the Kings at second place on a 5-2 card.

Gary David spearheaded Air21’s offense as he fired a a game-high 27 points.

The Express dominated the game from late in the first quarter on, erecting as much as a 22-point lead before allowing the Aces to come no closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Wynne Arboleda also took credit for the win, scoring all his 16 points in the third quarter on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. Arboleda’s heroics enabled the Express to increase its lead to as much as 21 points.

Alaska, which ended a 3-game win streak, suffered its worst loss in more than a year, or since a 91-73 beating at the hands of Purefoods in last season’s Philippine Cup.

Rosell Ellis tallied 38 points–his highest since scoring 46 for Coca-Cola in 2001–and 14 rebounds but it still proved not enough for Alaska.

The scores:

Air21 116 – David 27, Daniels 19, Arboleda 16, Santos 14, Telan 14, Canaleta 10, Se 8, Dimaunahan 4, Torion 4, Andaya 0, Bernardo 0.

Alaska 104 – Ellis 38, Thoss 16, Miller 14, Hugnatan 8, Ferriols 8, Cariaso 8, Laure 6, Luanzon 2, Bajar 2, Belasco 2, Aban 0, Castro 0, Juinio 0.

Quarterscores: 32-24, 61-44, 97-82, 116-104.

Meanwhile, the Philippine national basketball squad rallied from 18 point down to defeat ABA Hollywood Fame, an American team beefed up by former NBA players, 98-81, in the team’s first tuneup game in Carson City, California.

Fame was led by Bryon Russel, a 6’7” former Los Angeles and Utah forward.

The Filipinos missed their first four shots and quickly trailed by double digits as Jimmy Johnson, 6-foot-5 Billy Knight, 6’6 Mo Spillers, 6’9 Ron Mingo and Russel dominated the inside and surprised the visitors with their deft outside shooting.

Fame further hammered the Filipinos with 6’9 John Nortridge, who combined with Jamaal Kendricks in opening an 18-point lead early in the second quarter.

But before the half ended, Asi Taulava, Danny Seigle, Mick Pennisi, Renren Ritualo and Jayjay Helterbrand started connecting.

Ritualo and Pennisi engineered a scorching rally that wiped out the deficit as Fame went into the locker room holding only a one-point edge, 51-50.

The second half was the Philippines all the way with Pennisi and Dondon Hontiveros delivering long-distance bombs and Helterbrand shredding the Fame defense in setting up Tony dela Cruz at the perimeter.

The Americans trailed by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter and went into a full-court press which the Filipinos easily broke down with superb ball-handling.