By Musong R. Castillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
GAMES TODAY (Araneta Coliseum)
4 p.m.—Purefoods vs Talk ‘N Text
6:30 p.m.—Rain or Shine vs Barangay Ginebra
VICTORIAS CITY, Philippines—With practically its entire offensive armada clicking, powerhouse San Miguel Beer Saturday night mowed down Sta. Lucia Realty, 88-69, for its fourth straight win in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup elimination round at the Victorias City Sports Center here.
The Beermen scored 24 points in each of the first three periods, their first half total just two shy of the entire Sta. Lucia effort for 36 minutes, as they won convincingly over a squad that prides itself in playing hard-nosed defense.
Arwind Santos already had 16 points in the first three periods alone, going on to lead San Miguel to a 4-2 slate while dealing the Realtors their third loss against as many victories in the road game presented by Phoenix Fuel.
Santos finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds and the San Miguel defense bottled up former MVP Kelly Williams to just six points in the first three periods. Gabby Espinas led the Realtors with 17, 13 of them coming in the third period.
Meanwhile, elimination round action returns to the storied Big Dome in Cubao Sunday with Barangay Ginebra, despite being short on point guards, clashing with Rain or Shine to stay in solo second spot.
Jay-Jay Helterbrand is expected to be out for at least this game and so is the returning Johnny Abarrientos when the Gin Kings slug it out with the Elasto Painters at 6:30 p.m.
Helterbrand, the reigning MVP, and Abarrientos, also a former MVP, are nursing different injuries, which is probably what Rain or Shine needs to finally catch a break.
The Painters are the only winless team left in the field and even if the Kings play with just one point guard in Celino Cruz, Ginebra could still prove to be a tough first win for them the way they have been playing of late.
In the first game, Talk ‘N Text and Purefoods collide in a battle of squads tagged as favorites in the preseason with the Tropang Texters, the defending champions here, hoping to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
Game time is 4 p.m. shortly after the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines presents Asian Indoor Games boxing gold medalist Annie Albania, silver medalist Michele Martinez and bronze medalist Josie Gabuco to league fans.
Abarrientos was plucked out of the reserved list to spell Helterbrand, only to suffer a freak cut in the left hand while going for a steal in a convincing victory over Barako Bull Friday.
Helterbrand has a strained knee while the Kings are also missing gunslinger Mark Caguioa.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL 88—Santos 21, Pena 14, Hontiveros 13, Tugade 10, Miranda 10, Villanueva 7, Custodio 6, Cortez 4, Pennisi 3, Eman 0, Racela 0, Calaguio 0.
STA. LUCIA 69—Espinas 17, Yeo 16, Williams 11, Omolon 8, Reyes 6, Urbiztondo 4, Aquino 4, Daa 3, Misolas 0, Jaime 0, Larong 0.
Quarters: 24-17, 48-28, 72-50, 88-69.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
GINEBRA BLASTS BARAKO BULLS
Caguioa-less and Helterbrand-less Ginebra grabbed solo second place as they beat the Barako Bulls, 94-86 last night at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
Cyrus Baguio and Ronald Tubid were the team's heroes with 22 and 17 points each. They are now at 3-1 w-l standing.
Flying A Johnny Abarrientos was seen hitting the basketball court with 4 rebounds and 6 assists before it was cut shortly by a finger injury (cut that needs to be stitched) and was rushed to the hospital.
"Pakiramdam ko putol ang daliri ko. Parang sumabit sa baller ni Paolo (Hubalde). Dapat talaga ipagbawal ang kung ano-anong sinusuot ng mga players outside of the playing uniform," said Abarrientos.
Scores:
Ginebra 94 - Baguio 22, Tubid 17, Villanueva 14, Menk 12, Cruz 10, Salvacion 7, Wilson 6, Intal 2, Alvarez 2, Mamaril 2, White 0, Abarrientos 0.
Barako Bull 86 - Najorda 15, Duncil 12, Dimaunahan 12, Crisano 12, Aljamal 10, Lao 10, Menor 4, Hubalde 4, Alonzo 3, Membrere 2, Belano 2, Fernandez 0.
Cyrus Baguio and Ronald Tubid were the team's heroes with 22 and 17 points each. They are now at 3-1 w-l standing.
Flying A Johnny Abarrientos was seen hitting the basketball court with 4 rebounds and 6 assists before it was cut shortly by a finger injury (cut that needs to be stitched) and was rushed to the hospital.
"Pakiramdam ko putol ang daliri ko. Parang sumabit sa baller ni Paolo (Hubalde). Dapat talaga ipagbawal ang kung ano-anong sinusuot ng mga players outside of the playing uniform," said Abarrientos.
Scores:
Ginebra 94 - Baguio 22, Tubid 17, Villanueva 14, Menk 12, Cruz 10, Salvacion 7, Wilson 6, Intal 2, Alvarez 2, Mamaril 2, White 0, Abarrientos 0.
Barako Bull 86 - Najorda 15, Duncil 12, Dimaunahan 12, Crisano 12, Aljamal 10, Lao 10, Menor 4, Hubalde 4, Alonzo 3, Membrere 2, Belano 2, Fernandez 0.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Alaska stakes clean slate against Burger King
Thursday, 05 November 2009 19:22
AFTER bringing down three potential contenders, the Alaska Aces have also left an indelible mark that speaks well of how they intend to wrap up their campaign in the 2009-10 KFC-Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
But while he is optimistic about their ability to clinch the franchise’s fifth All-Filipino crown, coach Tim Cone contends they are taking it one game at a time and making sure they don’t lose their focus.
“It’s my duty to make sure the players stay relevant to what’s going [on] right now and not look at 9-and-0 or 10-and-0 or the finals. Once you start feeling the games are getting easy… it gets hard and hurry,” Cone said.
The Aces improved to 5-0 on Wednesday, but needed a couple of big plays down the stretch to defeat former champion Sta. Lucia Realty, 91-83.
Discipline and chemistry are key to Alaska’s early success. But Willie Miller and co. may need a lot more than that as they attempt to stay unbeaten.
Standing in the way of the Aces and “W” No. 6 are the Burger King Whoppers, a band composed mostly of unheralded players who seem to find satisfaction by playing tough and physical.
“Its not gonna be an easy thing with [coach] Yeng’s [Guiao] team,” confessed Cone. “Those guys that bring their lunch pill and their hard hats and just go at it, those are the teams we have a hard time with.”
The Aces and Whoppers mix it up at 5 o’clock at the Cuneta Astrodome and Cone remains confident the Aces will rise to the challenge.
Two other matches are also scheduled on Friday. Smart Gilas takes on Coca-Cola at 2:30 p.m., while Barangay Ginebra battles Barako Bull at 7:30 p.m.
Smart Gilas has lost three consecutive games but their chances look good against Coke because the Nationals’ remaining games will be played under Fiba rules. The result though will have no bearing on the PBA teams.
The Ginebra-Barako Bull encounter is also expected to draw attention.
The Kings will still miss injured shooting guard Mark Caguioa while Erik Menk is expected to return and help the Kings (2-1) bounce back from a 96-100 defeat to Alaska on October 25.
The 12-day break should have also recharged the Kings and are now prepared against the Energy Boosters (2-2), who have surprised many observers by beating Coca-Cola and Purefoods—teams expected to fare well this conference.
Guiao said the Whoppers (3-1) have done their homework but admitted it would be hard to break Alaska’s confidence and stop its rampage.
“But one of these days they will have bad nights. I just hope it happens during our game,” Guiao said.
During a preseason scrimmage, Burger King managed to lead Alaska by 24 points, something the Whoppers could do again, according to Cone.
“San Miguel and Talk ’N Text are the scariest teams in the league, but sometimes I prefer playing them than Burger King. They’re just tough, they’ll get into your skin and they take you out of what you like to do. So we got to control our emotions,” Cone said.
“But we’ve been rising to the challenge each time. So I expect our guys to rise to the challenge again.” Dave Coros
AFTER bringing down three potential contenders, the Alaska Aces have also left an indelible mark that speaks well of how they intend to wrap up their campaign in the 2009-10 KFC-Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
But while he is optimistic about their ability to clinch the franchise’s fifth All-Filipino crown, coach Tim Cone contends they are taking it one game at a time and making sure they don’t lose their focus.
“It’s my duty to make sure the players stay relevant to what’s going [on] right now and not look at 9-and-0 or 10-and-0 or the finals. Once you start feeling the games are getting easy… it gets hard and hurry,” Cone said.
The Aces improved to 5-0 on Wednesday, but needed a couple of big plays down the stretch to defeat former champion Sta. Lucia Realty, 91-83.
Discipline and chemistry are key to Alaska’s early success. But Willie Miller and co. may need a lot more than that as they attempt to stay unbeaten.
Standing in the way of the Aces and “W” No. 6 are the Burger King Whoppers, a band composed mostly of unheralded players who seem to find satisfaction by playing tough and physical.
“Its not gonna be an easy thing with [coach] Yeng’s [Guiao] team,” confessed Cone. “Those guys that bring their lunch pill and their hard hats and just go at it, those are the teams we have a hard time with.”
The Aces and Whoppers mix it up at 5 o’clock at the Cuneta Astrodome and Cone remains confident the Aces will rise to the challenge.
Two other matches are also scheduled on Friday. Smart Gilas takes on Coca-Cola at 2:30 p.m., while Barangay Ginebra battles Barako Bull at 7:30 p.m.
Smart Gilas has lost three consecutive games but their chances look good against Coke because the Nationals’ remaining games will be played under Fiba rules. The result though will have no bearing on the PBA teams.
The Ginebra-Barako Bull encounter is also expected to draw attention.
The Kings will still miss injured shooting guard Mark Caguioa while Erik Menk is expected to return and help the Kings (2-1) bounce back from a 96-100 defeat to Alaska on October 25.
The 12-day break should have also recharged the Kings and are now prepared against the Energy Boosters (2-2), who have surprised many observers by beating Coca-Cola and Purefoods—teams expected to fare well this conference.
Guiao said the Whoppers (3-1) have done their homework but admitted it would be hard to break Alaska’s confidence and stop its rampage.
“But one of these days they will have bad nights. I just hope it happens during our game,” Guiao said.
During a preseason scrimmage, Burger King managed to lead Alaska by 24 points, something the Whoppers could do again, according to Cone.
“San Miguel and Talk ’N Text are the scariest teams in the league, but sometimes I prefer playing them than Burger King. They’re just tough, they’ll get into your skin and they take you out of what you like to do. So we got to control our emotions,” Cone said.
“But we’ve been rising to the challenge each time. So I expect our guys to rise to the challenge again.” Dave Coros
Thursday, November 5, 2009
GN | Game Date | Venue | Time | Type | Team(Dark) | Team(Light) | |
25 | Friday November 6, 2009 | Cuneta Astrodome | 2:30 PM | Elimination | Smart Gilas | vs | Coca-Cola Tigers |
26 | Friday November 6, 2009 | Cuneta Astrodome | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Burger King Whoppers | vs | Alaska Aces |
27 | Friday November 6, 2009 | Cuneta Astrodome | 7:30 PM | Elimination | Ginebra Kings | vs | Barako Bull Energy Boosters |
28 | Saturday November 7, 2009 | Vicorias City, Negros Occ. | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Sta. Lucia Realtors | vs | San Miguel Beermen |
29 | Sunday November 8, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 4:00 PM | Elimination | Purefoods TJ Hotdogs | vs | Talk N Text Tropang Texters |
30 | Sunday November 8, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 6:30 PM | Elimination | Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | vs | Ginebra Kings |
31 | Wednesday November 11, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Talk N Text Tropang Texters | vs | Coca-Cola Tigers |
32 | Wednesday November 11, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 7:30 PM | Elimination | San Miguel Beermen | vs | Purefoods TJ Hotdogs |
33 | Friday November 13, 2009 | Ynares - Antipolo | 2:30 PM | Elimination | Smart Gilas | vs | Sta. Lucia Realtors |
34 | Friday November 13, 2009 | Ynares - Antipolo | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Barako Bull Energy Boosters | vs | Talk N Text Tropang Texters |
35 | Friday November 13, 2009 | Ynares - Antipolo | 7:30 PM | Elimination | Alaska Aces | vs | Rain or Shine Elasto Painters |
36 | Saturday November 14, 2009 | Tubod, Lanao DN | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Ginebra Kings | vs | Burger King Whoppers |
37 | Sunday November 15, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 4:00 PM | Elimination | San Miguel Beermen | vs | Barako Bull Energy Boosters |
38 | Sunday November 15, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 6:30 PM | Elimination | Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | vs | Purefoods TJ Hotdogs |
39 | Wednesday November 18, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Burger King Whoppers | vs | Coca-Cola Tigers |
40 | Wednesday November 18, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 7:30 PM | Elimination | Sta. Lucia Realtors | vs | Ginebra Kings |
41 | Friday November 20, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 2:30 PM | Elimination | Smart Gilas | vs | Rain or Shine Elasto Painters |
42 | Friday November 20, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Barako Bull Energy Boosters | vs | Burger King Whoppers |
43 | Friday November 20, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 7:30 PM | Elimination | Talk N Text Tropang Texters | vs | Alaska Aces |
44 | Saturday November 21, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Coca-Cola Tigers | vs | San Miguel Beermen |
45 | Sunday November 22, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 4:00 PM | Elimination | Sta. Lucia Realtors | vs | Barako Bull Energy Boosters |
46 | Sunday November 22, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 6:30 PM | Elimination | Alaska Aces | vs | Purefoods TJ Hotdogs |
47 | Wednesday November 25, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Rain or Shine Elasto Painters | vs | Coca-Cola Tigers |
48 | Wednesday November 25, 2009 | Araneta Coliseum | 7:30 PM | Elimination | Ginebra Kings | vs | Talk N Text Tropang Texters |
49 | Friday November 27, 2009 | Ynares - Antipolo | 2:30 PM | Elimination | San Miguel Beermen | vs | Smart Gilas |
50 | Friday November 27, 2009 | Ynares - Antipolo | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Talk N Text Tropang Texters | vs | Burger King Whoppers |
51 | Friday November 27, 2009 | Ynares - Antipolo | 7:30 PM | Elimination | Coca-Cola Tigers | vs | Ginebra Kings |
52 | Saturday November 28, 2009 | Surigao Del Norte | 5:00 PM | Elimination | Purefoods TJ Hotdogs | vs | Sta. Lucia Realtors |
ACES SURVIVE SLR SCARE, NOW 5-0
Wed, 11/04/2009 - 22:43 — junior
Alaska Milk has done a game better from last year, matching a record start the franchise made over a decade ago.
The Aces stayed sharp and steady despite a nine-day rest, getting their best conference start in 11 years as they whipped the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 91-83, in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday.
Joe Devance came through with a double-double game with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Willie Miller had 19 points, five assists and four rebounds as the Aces preserved their clean slate in five games in the all-Filipino tourney.
It's the franchise's best start in a tourney since also opening up with a 5-0 win-loss roll in the 1998 All-Filipino Conference. Back then, the Aces lost their sixth game.
"Doing a game better will certainly be our motivation in our next game," said Alaska coach Tim Cone, vowing they will work hard to beat Burger King Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome.
"The theme tonight was to do one game better from last year. We're 4-0 last year then we lost our next game," Cone also said.
"We'd got it but it's certainly not easy. Sta. Lucia has always been a tough match-up for us. We just couldn't shake them. We pulled through with big plays on both ends down the stretch," Cone added.
Kelly Williams and Gabby Espinas both got double-double efforts that went down the drain as the Realtors suffered a second loss against three wins.
Sta. Lucia, thus, slid to joint second with San Miguel.
Williams got away with game highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds while Espinas came through with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Ryan Reyes also had a solid all-round game helping Sta. Lucia put up a whale of a fight in the contest.
The Aces, however, won't be denied as they hung tough to the finish.
Devance made key plays on both ends in the closing minutes to clinch the win for the Aces.
The Realtors trailed by eight, 38-46, at the half while converting only 27.8 percent of their shots.
The Aces banked on a better shooting as they dominated the first two quarters though beaten in the battle off the boards, 23-29, and committing more turnovers, 17-13.
The Realtors got into the thick of things on a searing rally in the second half. (SB)
The scores:
Alaska 91 - Miller 19, De Vance 15, Tenorio 13, Hugnatan 11, Dela Cruz 9, Thoss 6, Borboran 5, Cablay 4, Fonacier 3, Burstcher 2, Ferriols 2, Cariaso 2.
Sta. Lucia 83 - Williams 20, Espinas 16, Daa 10, Reyes 10, Omolon 10, Aquino 6, Larong 5, Yeo 4, Misolas 2, Waters 0, Urbiztondo 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20, 46-38, 71-63, 91-83
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