By JAY R. GOTERA
The Saudi Gazette
MANILA
MERCILESS till the end, Red Bull massacred hapless Sta. Lucia, 114-79, Friday night at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City in the PBA Fiesta Conference.
The win pushed the Barakos to solo second in the standings with a 4-1 record while the Realtors suffered their fourth loss in five games.
The 35-point victory was the biggest winning margin ever for Red Bull and the worst loss in Sta. Lucia’s franchise history.
Jolted by the Barangay Ginebra Kings last Sunday, the Barakos exacted their fury on the listless Realtors en route to their fourth win in five starts.
“The team made up for our bad game against Ginebra. So far, that was James Penny’s worst game and he also made up for it very early in the game,” said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao.
Penny scored 12 of his 23 points in the third period with Cyrus Baguio and Rich Alvarez adding seven apiece as the Barakos ripped the game apart at 78-55.
The Barakos started the fourth quarter with a 10-to-nothing run and kept leads of more than 30 points the rest of the way.
The Barakos converted 47.8 percent of their three-point attempts and 49.3 percent of their two-point tries. The Realtors, on the other hand, struggled with a 35.6-percent shooting clip.
Guiao now hopes to make another run as they play the red-hot Air21 squad next.
In the first game, Gary David dished out an All-Star performance and Mark Telan chalked up his first career 20-20 game as the Air21 Express downed the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, 107-103, in overtime to remain on top of the standings with its fourth consecutive victory.
The win marked the Express’ best start yet in a conference since it joined the PBA in 2002. It was also Air21’s longest win streak under head coach Bo Perasol.
“Gary gave us a big lift in overtime. When the going gets tough, we always count on Gary. And tonight he stepped up at the right place and at the right time,” Perasol said.
The Express actually blew a 19-point lead but played smart in the closing minutes of regulation and overtime to extend their win streak.
After Richard Yee tied the count at 100-100, David completed a three-point play and rookie forward Arwind Santos split his free throws to give Air21 a four-point lead that held up to the end en route to their second straight OT win.
“Overall though, it was a team effort. Mark (Telan), Wynne (Arboleda), Arwind, KG (Canaleta) and Shawn (Daniels) also contributed significantly. We’re tough when we play as a team,” Perasol said.
Telan, a 6-foot-6 center-forward who’s playing in his eighth season in the league, was in his best element, tallying career-highs in scoring and rebounding to the tune of 27 points and 21 rebounds for his first career 20-20 game.
“I felt like I was in a zone. I really felt good every time I touched the ball so I kept on shooting,” said the former De La Salle Green Archer, who went 11-for-16 from the perimeter.
It was a frustrating loss for the Giants, who shot poorly in the first half but rallied with grim determination and standout defense in the second half only to fade in the closing minute of the extra session.
Purefoods picked up its third loss in four games.
Last year’s Best Import Chandler, who showed the way for the Giants, grabbed 21 rebounds that went with his 42 points, including a 3-pointer late in the third quarter that tied the count at 64-64 before Richard Yee hit a short jumper to give Purefoods its first taste of the lead.
The conference’s leading scorer, James Yap scored 27 points, 13 in the third quarter but went scoreless in the fourth and managed just two points in overtime.
The scores:
First Game
Air21 107 – David 32, Telan 27, Arboleda 14, Santos 9, Daniels 8, Canaleta 8, Se 5, Dimaunahan 4, Bernardo 0, Torion 0.
Purefoods 103 – Chandler 42, Yap 27, Salvador 8, Yee 7, Castillo 7, Simon 5, Evangelista 3, Artadi 2, Camaso 2, Gamboa 0.
Quarterscores: 23-18, 52-38, 70-72, 90-90, 107-103.
Second Game
Red Bull 114 – Penny 23, Villanueva 19, Baguio 12, Sharma 10, Valenzuela 10, Fonacier 8, Alvarez 7, Cruz 7, Robinson 6, Hrabak 5, Najorda 3, Bugia 2, Ybanez 2.
Sta. Lucia 79 – Williams 21, Wilson 15, Omolon 12, Bughao 11, Catli 6, Espino 67, Mendoza 3, Calimag 2, Gonzales 2, Cabagnot 1, Isip 0, Duremdes 0, Aquino 0.
Quarterscores: 21-17, 44-35, 78-55, 114-79
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