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Aces, Beermen eye 3-1 cushion

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:55:00 +0000

Aces, Beermen eye 3-1 cushion

by Zean Macamay

Tuesday, 27 July 2010 18:38

Source: Journal.com.ph

Games Today: (Cuneta Astrodome)

5:00 p.m. – Derby Ace vs. San Miguel Beer
7:30 p.m. – Alaska vs. Talk ‘N Text

HALFWAY fulfilled to a series’ triumph against the top-ranked team, and getting the rest it needed so much, Alaska now goes for the win that may just end up as the killer blow.

“We’ll need to continue to find a way and follow up our last win,” said Aces’ coach Tim Cone. “Usually the team that can win back-to-back in a series will win it.”

Absolutely not the fancied one coming into the semi-finals but surprisingly in control, Alaska tonight shoots for a commanding 3-1 lead over Talk ‘N Text and move on the threshold of a shocking result in Game Four of their Final Four showdown in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Cuneta Astrodome.

“The good news is we had a couple of days to refresh and now we can play them on even terms,” said Cone. “This is good basketball. We’re playing so hard and it’s great we’re staying out there and battling out there and giving ourselves opportunities.

“Everyone thought that we were going to be blown out by Talk ‘N Text.”

From the looks of it, it’s the Tropang Texters who are definitely in deep trouble.

Alaska played Game Three Sunday trailing most of the way. In the end, LA Tenorio, who only had two points through 47 minutes, scored the Aces’ last seven points in a brilliant turn-around that carried the franchise to a 90-86 victory.

Diamon Simpson collected 31 points and 20 rebounds in that win, and the Aces outscored the Texters by 25 points at the free-throw line, numbers that obviously did not escape the meticulous eyes of TNT coach Chot Reyes, who is eyeing to give the ball club its first ever championship in a tournament with imports.

Reyes pin-pointed the way Simpson outplayed Shawn Daniels, and how Alaska got away with numerous attempts at the stripe. If the Texters can’t stop any of those two from happening again, the chances are slim in tying the series, according to Reyes.

“We lost Game Three because Simpson thoroughly dominated Daniels,” said Reyes. “”And they took 34 free throws to our 13. If we’re able to solve at least one of those, then we’ll have a chance in Game Four.”

Daniels, an import not necessarily known for his offense, only had four points and nine rebounds in Game Three.

Mac-Mac Cardona, who missed Game Two in Talk ‘N Text’s 100-94 triumph after getting married, also was a huge flop. Reyes decided not to start the shooting guard in Game Three and eventually lost grasp of the rotation, seeing action for only 11 minutes and producing six points.

“Mac-Mac may be out of his rhythm right now, but he’s the kind of guy that when he finds his rhythm, he changes the game, makes you lose your focus. So we expect to see of Mac-Mac in the next games,” said Cone.

The pressure to steer a star-studded team to the Finals is slowly piling up on Reyes, who has already guided the Texters to a franchise-best 13-game winning streak in the eliminations and the best record at 13-5.

San Miguel Beer likewise guns for a 3-1 lead over Derby Ace, hoping that the momentum of its splendid, come-from-behind 74-70 win in Game Three can be carried on.

The Beermen fell behind by as many as 17 points to the Llamados in their previous outing, but mustered enough strength and focus to pull off the win despite Gabe Freeman sitting most of the time at the bench because of foul trouble.

This is the very same situation Derby Ace faced in the Philippine Cup. But the Llamados won the next three games to advance to the championship series against Alaska and eventually the title via a rare sweep.

To win, Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio is hoping that they find their touch on offense.

“We all for a fact that we can’t win against San Miguel if we don’t score,” said Gregorio. “But we’re still upbeat about our chances. Game Four is crucial. We don’t want to be down 1-3.”

The Llamados, after scoring 45 points in the first half in Game Three, were held to only 25 in the second half, a conference low and a season-tying low. James Yap went without a field goal in the final 14:05 of the game, and no other local other than Don Allado (10 points) scored in double-digits for the Philippine Cup champions.

BEERMEN CONTINUE WITH WINNING WAYS, RIP BARAKO BULL

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:40:00 +0000

BEERMEN CONTINUE WITH WINNING WAYS, RIP BARAKO BULL

First outright semifinalist improves to 10-2 as Freeman virtually unstoppable in 4th

Friday, 15 May 2009

Source: PBA.PH

ANTIPOLO CITY. -- San Miguel Beer turned to Gabe Freeman in the fourth quarter and the hardworking import willingly took over as the Beermen, already assured of the No.1 seeding even before the start of the game, continued with its winning ways, hacking out a 99-92 victory over Barako Bull Friday night at the Ynares Center.

With just one point separating the SMB and Barako Bull, Freeman made three consecutive free throws then scored on a follow-up dunk off Danny Ildefonso’s missed jumper to stretch SMB’s lead to 95-89 with 70 seconds remaining.

The versatile Freemen eventually finished with 33 points and was a monster off the boards with 21 rebounds for his 11^th double-double in as many games as the Beermen bounced back from Sunday’s 105-107 double overtime loss to Burger King.

Dondon Hontiveros scored 23 points, Ildefonso added 14 and Jonas Villanueva had seven assists for SMB which improved to a league-best 10-2 (win-loss) record in the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

That means the Beermen have secured their place in the best-of-seven semifinals and will have plenty of rest after the classification round before plunging to war in their bid to regain the title they last won in 2005.

SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen gave his troops a tongue lashing during the halftime break, displeased with his team’s lethargic showing in the opening half.

“It’s not enough for us to just show up. We have to come out and play every game,” he said.

Daryan Selvy scored 32 points and had 13 rebounds to show the way for Barako Bull, which led by as many 12 points but came up short.

Jojo Duncil added a career-high 18 points and Gabby Espinas had 12 for the Energy Boosters who picked up their eighth consecutive loss, matching the worst in franchise history, and 12^th in 14 games overall.

They wound up their campaign at 10^th place and now face the specter of having to win twice over the No.3 seed to advance to the quarterfinals.

It looked like SMB had the game in control late in the opening quarter when it built a 26-10 lead on a 3-pointer by Dondon Hontiveros with 4:29 to play as Barako Bull started the period by missing its first seven attempts and committed two quick turnovers.

Then the Beermen inexplicably lost their intensity, allowing the Energy Boosters to get back in game.

Barako Bull knocked in three consecutive 3-pointers to close the first quarter then scored the first eight points of the second to take the lead, 34-26, on Alex Crisano’s three.

Barako Bull shot 8-for-19 from the 3-point range in the first half.

SMB tied the count at 34 on a basket by Dorian Pena and again at 36 on Hontiveros’s jumper before Michael Hrabak and Selvy sparked an 18-4 run that propelled the Barako Bull to 52-40 halftime advantage. (DBC)

The scores:

SMB 99 – Freeman 33, Hontiveros 23, Ildefonso 14, Pena 10, Pennisi 9, Villanueva 6, Pingris 2, Racela 2, Custodio 0, Bono 2, Washington 0, Gonzales 0.

Barako Bull 92 – Selvy 32, Duncil 18, Espinas 12, Hrabak 7, Sharma 6, Chan 5, Crisano 5, Najorda 3, Rodriguez 2, Juntilla 2, Membrere 0, Ybanez 0.

Quarterscores: 26-32; 52-40; 69-70; 99-92

SMB WALLOPS PUREFOODS, STAYS ON TOP

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:36:00 +0000

SMB WALLOPS PUREFOODS, STAYS ON TOP

Beermen hold J Yap to 3 points

Friday, 13 March 2009

Source: PBA.PH

With injuries and all, San Miguel Beer is off to a hot start in the import-laced tourney.

And it's not just all about the Beermen's reinforcement.

SMB made it three-of-three so far in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference as it sprinted out of the gate and coasted to a 122-103 victory over erstwhile co-leader Purefoods Tender Juicy Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Beermen were simply mean and unforgiving in their rout of the Giants, their third in a row following earlier victories over the Alaska Milk Aces and the Burger King Titans.

"We came out with a defensive mindset. We stuck with the plan and somehow we caught them in their off-night," said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

"Not taking anything away from our boys' efforts, pero hindi talaga maka-convert ang Purefoods," Tanquingcen added.

Purefoods suffered its first loss in three games with main man James Yap being the biggest flop with an atrocious 1-of-12 shooting.

He scored only three points, his least output since going scoreless on Oct. 22, 2004 in an 89-87 decision over Sta. Lucia.

Before Friday's game, the one-time MVP winner averaged 26 points, No. 1 in the tourney among locals and No. 5 overall including the imports.

Kerby Raymundo, the other half of the Giants' dreaded one-two punch, was held down to six points in the first half before getting away with 15 in the second half to pace Purefoods with 19.

Purefoods import Brian Hamilton himself was way off from his impressive debut against Talk n Text where he churned out triple-double numbers. The Louisiana-Lafayette U product struggled for 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Beermen.

With a good defense in place against Yap and Raymundo, the Beermen utterly dominated the Giants, leading by as many as 39 points, 83-44, early in the second half.

From there, the best the Giants could do was trim the deficit to what it was in the end.

The Beermen jumped the gun on the Giants, taking the first quarter at 35-21 and the half at 70-39.

SMB had the game all but wrapped up in the first half while shooting 60 percent as against Purefoods' 37.8-percent clip.

The Beermen have gone 3-0 in the tourney, gaining solo leadership minus injured stars Danny Seigle, Lordy Tugade, Danny Ildefonso, Marc Pingris and Mike Cortez.(NC)

The scores:

San Miguel 122 -- Pena 17, Racela 16, Gonzales 15, Washington 14, Pennisi 13, Custodio 11, Hontiveros 11, Freeman 10, Villanueva 9, Calaguio 6, Bono 0, Eman 0.

Purefoods 103 -- Raymundo 19, Hamilton 18, Villanueva 18, Simon 13, Canaleta 9, Allado 7, Vergara 7, Yap R. 6, Yap J. 3, Robinson 2, Alvarez 0, Adducul 0.

Quarterscores: 35-21, 70-39, 99-69, 122-103

SMB’S FUTURE AT THE BACKCOURT EMERGES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:08:00 +0000

SMB’S FUTURE AT THE BACKCOURT EMERGES
Player of the Week Feb. 28 to March 8
Wednesday, 11 March 2009

Source: PBA.PH

WHEN Jonas Villanueva entered the San Miguel Beer organization, he knew he will have to bide his time and play behind the likes of Olsen Racela and Mike Cortez at the point guard spot.
When Cortez got sidelined by an ACL early last season, Villanueva knew the wait will be shorter than expected. He also knew he was ready.
Villanueva showed this the most in the week that was, putting up back-to-back memorable games and helping the Beermen take a share of the lead in the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.
In the process, the 25-year-old Bocaue, Bulacan-born playmaker was voted as the KFC/Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the extended Feb. 28-March 8 opening period.
The former Far Eastern U mainstay, picked at ninth overall in the 2007 Rookie Draft, surely earned it by displaying a relatively surprising, quick way in which he adjusted after being eased into the starting point guard role in the season-ending tournament.
“He has always had the tools, even when we first picked him up. Ngayon nadagdag are 'yung opportunity and confidence,” explained San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.
Villanueva has so far proven the trust in him was well-founded.
First, he played like the import the Beermen did not have in notching a career-high 27 points in a 93-89 victory over Alaska last March 1, before coming back with a 16-point performance in a 114-105 win over erstwhile unbeaten Burger King a week later.
In those two games, the 6-foot Villanueva attempted 13 shots in each game, making a total of 15, while averaging 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
No one expressed more elation on this pleasant turn of events than Tanquingcen.
“He's showing a lot of maturity in his game. The experience this past all-Filipino conference made him tougher both physically and more importantly, mentally,” he said.
Those wins also pushed San Miguel into a tie for the lead with co-unbeaten Purefoods that is led by James Yap, the same man edged out by Villanueva in the voting.
If things go as planned, Cortez is set to make his return midway in the tournament. The Beermen know there's no need to rush.
Not with Villanueva showing he is very capable of holding the fort. (NCo)

BEERMEN BRING BURGER KING BACK TO EARTH

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:05:00 +0000

BEERMEN BRING BURGER KING BACK TO EARTH

Freeman scorches hoops with 40 as SMB gets piece of lead

Sunday, 08 March 2009

Source: PBA.PH

SAN Miguel Beer has shown it could win without an import. With one, it only reinforced its status as one of the teams to beat in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

The Beermen, who won the Fiesta title in 2005, paraded a surprise package in Gabe Freeman to notch a 114-105 victory over erstwhile unbeaten Burger King Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Freeman, who planed in only last Saturday and had just one practice session with SMB, scored 17 of his game-high 40 points in the fourth quarter, including 10 of his team's last 17 points.

It was the third highest output in the conference after Rod Nealy’s 42 when Barangay Ginebra defeated Coca-Cola 110-103 last Wednesday and Scooter McFadgon’s 41 in Barako Bull’s 91-83 loss to Rain or Shine last March 1.

With Freeman taking over, the Beermen had little trouble easing their way to a fitting follow-up to their 93-89 win over Alaska last Wednesday, when they played without a reinforcement.

“We knew he was a live wire, aggressive, what we think na kailangan ng team,” said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen of the 23-year-old who was a former player of Alton Lister, the Beermen's big man coach, in the CBA.

“We also knew he would bring in energy, offensive rebounding,” Tanquingcen added. “We did not expect his scoring. It was a pleasant surprise he scored so many points.”

Freeman also had 17 rebounds in his PBA debut. Not bad for a man who was hastily called in after SMB's original choice, Nate Carter, failed to secure his release papers from the St. Etienne BC in France.

Burger King coach Yeng Guiao opted not to play import Shawn Daniels in the last 18 minutes of the game, but the team still remained on track to rack up its third straight win after grittily fighting back from 26 points down and threatening within 94-97 with 3:33 to go.

But the Titans' bid vanished quickly when Freeman took over while getting plenty of support from the likes of Dondon Hontiveros, Jonas Villanueva and Bonbon Custodio.

Arwind Santos led Burger King with 26 points and eight rebounds, with four teammates chipping in at least 10 points, including Beau Belga's career-high 17. Daniels wound up with 10 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes.

“Hindi ko lang ginamit,” was Guiao's simple explanation of his decision to bench Daniels.
Providing their reinforcement chief support were SMB's Jay Washington, Villanueva and Dorian Pena, who had at least 15 points and four rebounds each.

The not-so-pretty finish was what worries Tanquingcen the most.

“That's a big concern of ours. We cannot let down on defense,” he said.

Burger King actually started hot, racing to 10-point leads twice, the last at 24-14, 4:05 left in the first quarter.

But once SMB put its act together, there was no virtually no stopping it.

The Beermen showed this first by banking on Freeman and Pena in an 18-4 assault that gave them the lead for good at 32-28, before holding the Titans to just 14 points (7-of-21 field shooting, six turnovers) in all of the second quarter for a 56-42 lead at the half.

With the likes of Washington, Olsen Racela and Villanueva joining in on the scoring act, the one-sided trend continued in the third quarter.

Villanueva's triple made it 68-48, before his three-point play and Freeman's emphatic dunk off his own steal pegged an imposing 81-55 count, 3:30 left in the period. (NCo)

The scores:

San Miguel Beer 114 - Freeman 40, Washington 17, Villanueva 16, Pena 15, Racela 8, Custodio 7, Pennisi 5, Hontiveros 4, Gonzales 2, Bono 0.

Burger King 105 -Santos 26, Belga 17, David 13, Quinahan 10, Daniels 10, Baguio 8, Rodriguez 5, Arboleda 5, Cruz M. 4, Cruz C. 3, Villanueva 2, Alonzo 2, Billones 0.

Quarterscores: 27-28, 56-42, 85-66, 114-105.

TNT BEATS SMB IN GAME 6 OT THRILLER TO ADVANCE TO FINALS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:36:00 +0000

TNT BEATS SMB IN GAME 6 OT THRILLER TO ADVANCE TO FINALS

League’s highest-scoring backcourt duo virtually do it all for Tropang Texters

Sunday, 25 January 2009

Talk ’N Text displayed tremendous endgame poise in overtime as it downed San Miguel Beer, 116-115, in Game 6 of their semifinals series to book a Finals seat in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Sunday night at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Mark Cardona led the Tropang Texters with a personal series-best 34 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer as his took a 116-115 lead with 1:41 left in the extra period.

When the final buzzer sounded the 6-foot-2 Cardona saluted the pro-SMB crowd who had been harsh on the 6-foot-2 shooting guard in this best-of-seven Final Four series, which TNT won, 4-2.

Cardona, the former De La Salle University stalwart who is one of the strong contenders for the Best Player of the Conference, went 13-of-24 from the field, including 7-of-15 from the three-point territory.

The Tropang Texters will thus be playing in the all-Filipino Finals for the first time since losing to Barangay Ginebra in the 2004-05 Philippine Cup.

Point guard Jimmy Alapag also delivered solid numbers for TNT with 27 points, while forward Harvey Carey had four points and a personal-conference high 22 rebounds, which typified the team’s determination despite the absence of the ‘de Ocampo Brothers’, Yancy and Ranidel.

Yancy was fined P20, 000 and served a one-game suspension for committing a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 on SMB’s Danny Seigle in Game 5, while Ranidel was banished from the game in the second quarter for committing the same FFP2 offense.

“I just kept telling my players during huddle, ‘just go all out and play with your hearts’,” said Talk ’N Text coach Chot Reyes.

Reyes is in the Finals as a coach for the first time since guiding SMB to the 2006-07 Philippine Cup against eventual champion Ginebra. He is looking to become the first PBA coach to win three AFC championships with three different teams.

Reyes won his first two with Purefoods (1993) and Coca-Cola (2002). He already won a total of four championships, two each with Purefoods and Coke.

“Today (yesterday) marked one year when (TNT owner) Manny V. Pangilinan and (team representative) Ricky Vargas approached me to coach Talk ’N Text. I told them to give me one year and I’ll bring this team to the Finals,” he added.

While Reyes is eying his fifth overall PBA championship, TNT is gunning only for its second and first since winning it in 2003 AFC.

The Tropang Texters actually had a chance to win it in regulation with the score tied at 111-111, but Alapag’s three-point attempt was way off its target.

The last time the Beermen had the lead was when former TNT Jay Washington, who was dealt to SMB in a Draft Day trade, made a putback, 115-113, with 1:57 left in OT.

After Cardona’s trey, both teams traded missed shots. When Washington missed his attempt at point-blank range, TNT also missed but they got the rebound, first was when Ali Peek missed and Carey gabbed the rebound and when Jason Castro’s lay-up was off which Carey tried to tip it in.

Although Carey missed, the leather was tapped by Peek and Cardona grabbed the loose ball as time expired.

It was the fifth elimination game for SMB, winning two in the wildcard phase against Coca-Cola and Air21, in Game 3 of its quarterfinals series with Ginebra and in Game 5 of this series.

Jared Dillinger finished with 14 points for TNT, while Ranidel de Ocampo, who was ejected from the game when he appeared to have stuck his right-foot on a three-point shooting Lordy Tugade, had 11 and eight boards before leaving the game.

De Ocampo’s FFP2 almost always means an automatic for suspension and a P20, 000 fine

Seigle led SMB with a personal conference-best 32 points, while Washington contributed 19 and 10 boards. Marc Pingris added 16 points with nine rebounds and Hontiveros had 15.

TNT, which led by as many as 17 points in the third quarter (77-60), shot 38-of-94 or 40.4 percent from the field, while SMB converted 36-of-92 or 39.1 percent. The Beermen also controlled the boards, 59-57. (WG)

The scores:

Talk N' Text 116 - Cardona 34, Alapag 27, Dillinger 14, De Ocampo 11, Peek 9, Ritualo 7, Castro 6, Aljamal 4, Carey 4, Reyes 0, Lao 0.

San Miguel 115 - Seigle 32, Washington 19, Pingris 16, Hontiveros 15, Villanueva 9, Tugade 9, Custodio 8, Pennisi 7, Gonzales 0, Racela 0.

Quarterscores: 35-30, 62-58, 89-80, 111-111, OT 116-115.

Source: PBA.PH

Exciting face-offs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:53:00 +0000

Exciting face-offs

Realtors take on Aces; Beermen meet Texters

The KFC Philippine Cup Final Four couldn’t have been this better.

Defending champion Sta. Lucia relives its budding rivalry with top ranked Alaska while no. 2 seed Talk ‘N Text clashes with surging survivor San Miguel Beer in an exciting pair of best-of-seven showdown serving as a fitting climax to the season-opening meet.

“Pampagana pa lang `yung wild card and quarterfinals series natin because the semifinals are even more exciting. So I hope PBA fans would enjoy it,” said league commissioner Sonny Barrios.

The Final Four series begins tomorrow at the Araneta Coliseum, barely three days after the Beermen came back from 21-points down to oust the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 98-93, in their thrilling knockout game for the last semifinals berth.

Dondon Hontiveros sizzled during the best-of-three series, averaging 27.7 points per game, on 52.4 percent shooting from three-point range and 50 percent shooting from the floor.

Against Talk ‘N Text, the 6-foot-2 Cebuano gunner is expected to engage in a shooting duel with league scoring leader Mac Mac Cardona.

A subplot to the match up is the meeting between Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes and San Miguel, the same team he steered to a runner up finish in the same tournament two years ago, ditto with Beerman Jay Washington up against his former teammates after the Tropang Texters traded the 6-foot-7 center to their rival franchise prior to the start of the season.

Just as interesting is the Realtors-Aces face-off.

The two engaged in a fierce, hotly-contested semis series a year ago that went the full route and won by Sta. Lucia on its way to bagging the PBA’s most coveted championship.

The encounter is expected to revive the coaching duel between Boyet Fernandez of Sta. Lucia and Alaska’s Tim Cone, whose word war stemming from a Kelly Williams slam dunk in the waning seconds of Game 2 which the Realtors won, added fire and drama to the best-of-seven affair.

Williams, veteran big men Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino, Nelbert Omolon and gung-ho guard Joseph Yeo will be back to spearhead the team’s bid to become the first back-to-back champion of the Philippine Cup since Great Taste in 1985.

But seeking payback and out to thwart the Realtors’ bid for a shot at history are the well-rested Aces, who got even bigger and versatile this season following the off-season acquisition of Joe DeVance.

For finishing as the top two teams at the end of the eliminations, both Alaska and Talk ‘N Text earner outright berths to the semis.

Source: http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?issue=2009-01-13&sec=7&aid=82722

King of Beermen shames Gin Kings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:50:00 +0000

King of Beermen shames Gin Kings
Updated January 13, 2009 12:00 AM

Dondon Hontiveros

The opposing teams know San Miguel Beer’s Dondon Hontiveros is one potent all-around weapon. They also realize that knowing is one thing, doing something about it is an entirely different matter.

Not when Hontiveros is on fire.

And he was undoubtedly in a zone when it mattered most, keeping the Beermen on track for a cherished PBA Philippine Cup goal and in the process earning for himself the KFC/Accel-PBA Press Corps’ Player of the Week honors for the period Jan. 5 to 11.

“He’s the main reason we’re through to the semifinals,” said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen, referring to the 6-foot-2 guard who led the team past Barangay Ginebra in their best-of-three quarterfinals series that went the full route.

In a dazzling display of firepower, the 31-year-old Cebuano hotshot averaged 28 points, including 34 in a 98-93 win last Sunday that enabled the Beermen to wrap up the series and advance to the semis against early qualifier Talk n Text.

The quarterfinals was as good a time as any for Hontiveros to continue ratcheting up his averages, which started with 13.6 ppg in the 18-game eliminations and went up to 16.5 in the wildcard.

Hontiveros maintains it was just a matter of living up to the trust by his teammates ‘Just be confident, ‘ he said.

Source: http://philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=431305&publicationSubCategoryId=69

No reprieve for Racela

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:48:00 +0000

No reprieve for Racela
By Joaquin Henson Updated January 13, 2009 12:00 AM

With or without malicious intent, veteran Olsen Racela was slapped a one-game suspension for his ejection on a flagrant foul-penalty two in the first quarter of San Miguel Beer’s 98-93 win over Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome last Sunday.

The suspension means Racela will sit out Game 1 of the San Miguel-Talk n Text best-of-7 semifinal series starting tomorrow at the Araneta Coliseum.

Racela was summoned by PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios to the league office in Pasig yesterday morning. He was informed of the suspension by Barrios in the presence of supervisor of officials Ramil Cruz.

A replay of the game tape showed Racela’s foot in the space where Jay-Jay Helterbrand landed after taking a three-point shot. He was ejected with 8:59 left in the period and Ginebra ahead, 4-2. PBA officials reviewed the tape and recommended the one-game suspension based on the so-called “landing spot rule.”

Barrios explained that when a defensive player intervenes in the space where an offensive player lands, specifically if a foot is in the way, the call is an automatic flagrant foul. If there is no contact, the call is a flagrant foul-penalty one which means two free throws, possession and a mandatory three-minute rest on the bench (to increase to five minutes on a second team flagrant foul). If there is contact, the call is a flagrant foul-penalty two which means two free throws, possession, ejection and a one-game suspension subject to review.

PBA technical consultant Romy Guevara said the previous “landing spot” rule was a technical foul without contact and a flagrant foul-penalty one with contact. But the rule was amended by the Board of Governors on the motion of San Miguel Beer governor Ely Capacio, a former PBA cager who batted to upgrade the penalties.

“The players themselves wanted us to tighten up on this rule,” said Barrios. “That’s why Ely, being a former PBA player, pushed for the upgrading of the penalties because this violation is potentially career-threatening and extremely dangerous.”

But Barrios qualified the suspension is not automatic on a flagrant foul-penalty two.

In Paul Artadi’s case in a Barangay Ginebra-Rain or Shine game last Dec. 25, he was ejected on the infraction but was spared a suspension.

Barrios pointed out that three elements must be determined to spare the offender of a suspension.

“First, the defensive player must be coming in from the side, not head to head,” said Barrios. “Second, the defensive player must be in airborne position so that he is not able to establish his landing spot. If a shooter is airborne and the defender is on the ground, the situation is different because the defender takes a superior position. Third, the offensive player is moving forward on his shot and lands where the defending player is. In Artadi’s case, all three elements were seen on tape and that’s why he wasn’t suspended.”

Barrios said calling the foul is simple. “We call it the landing spot rule because if there is interference on the spot where an airborne offensive player lands, the call is an automatic flagrant foul. If there is no contact, it’s a flagrant one. If there’s contact, it’s a flagrant two. It’s as simple as that. We’re not in a position to judge if there was malicious intent or not because we don’t get into the mind of a player. We make a call based on an action not on anyone’s intention.”

Source: http://philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=431307&publicationSubCategoryId=69

San Miguel beats Coke the hard way

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:27:00 +0000

San Miguel beats Coke the hard way

By Arman Carandang

11/13/2008

San Miguel Beer stretched its bench to its fullest during crunch time to quell Coca-Cola’s challenge, 89-86, in a game coach Siot Tanquincen said he didn’t expect to end the hard way in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome last night.

“We didn’t expect to win this close, but we didn’t also take Coca-Cola for granted,” said Tanquincen, somewhat stunned by the Tigers’ challenge.

“As I have said very often, Coke will be a force to reckon with as the season progresses. It’s a good thing we won, but we won it the hard way,” added Tanquincen, whose Beermen have now notched their seventh win in nine outings to tie Alaska Milk at the top.

The Beermen were actually in for strong wind-up when they posted an 86-76 lead entering the last 1:09 minutes.

The Beermen found the Tigers clawing back into contention as Alex Cabagnot, who scored Coke’s last seven points, shoved the Tigers within 86-88 on two charities off Mark Pingris with 8.3 seconds left.

In the ensuing play, Mic Pennisi, who drew a foul from Asi Taulava, split his free throws, 89-86, with coach Kenneth Duremdes suing for time to design game-tying play.

The Tigers failed to carry out their last play, with Cabagnot missing a three-point try at the buzzer. The Tigers reeled to their sixth loss in nine games.

Pennisi finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while four others — Dondon Hontiveros, Wesley Gonzales, Lordy Tugade and Pingris — turned in twin-digit outputs for the Beermen, who trailed midway in the second quarter at 29-38.

Meanwhile, RP team coach Yeng Guiao will meet today with the members of PBA Board of Governors and league commissioner Renauld “Sonny” Barrios to discuss the all-pro team’s preparation for the Fiba-Asia Championship next year.

Source: http://www.tribune.net.ph/sports/20081113spo4.html

PBA Pre-Season Tournament: Washington leads SMB past Bulls

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:31:00 +0000

PBA Pre-Season Tournament: Washington leads SMB past Bulls
Manila Bulletin
September 17, 2008

Jay Washington and Mick Pennisi seemed perfectly fit for their new home -- San Miguel Beer.

Washington scored 18 points and Pennisi had six points, five rebounds and two assists as the Beermen beat the Red Bull Barakos, 99-90, on Monday at the start of the PBA pre-season tournament at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines gym.

By acquiring the two via separate trades, SMB became bigger and beefier and in process presenting match-up nightmare for opponents which the Barakos encountered through the game.

Apart from it, Washington and Pennisi are also blessed with good shooting touch so they provide coach Siot Tanquingcen a lot of offensive options other than Dondon Hontiveros, Danny Seigle and Danny Ildefonso.

"They're a big team. Obviously the addition of Mick and JayWash has made SMB a tough match-up," observed Red Bull deputy coach Gee Abanilla, who called the shots for the Barakos.

Tanquingcen though insists his troops need some more fine tuning to be fully cohesive.

Expectations, he admits, are high but it remains to be seen whether his new-look team is up to the task.

"It's always been that way. Expectations are always high. Hopefully this time we could deliver," Tanquingcen said.

Against a team that let go off three key players (Pennisi, Topex Robinson and Kiko Adriano), the Beermen dominated the game early and practically settled the issue by halftime as they cruised to a 64-40 advantage.

Cyrus Baguio scored 15 points to show the way for the Barakos.

The scores:

SMB 99 -- Washington 18, Seigle 15, Gonzales 15, Hontiveros 11, Pena 8, Bono 7, Pennisi 6, Custodio 5, Racaela 5, Calaguio 3, Villanueva 2, Pingris 2, Cortez 2.

Red Bull 90 -- Baguio 15, Sharma 14, Alvarez 9, Espinas 9, Membrere 8, Cruz 7, Magpayo 6, Rodriguez 6, Hubalde 6, Ybanez 3, Najorda 2 Hrabak 0, Duncil 0.

Quarters: 29-23; 64-40; 84-58; 99-90

Source: http://www.surfshop.net.ph/pba2/news/?id=5685

Beermen debut versus tall Qataris

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:31:00 +0000

Beermen debut versus tall Qataris
By Romina Austria, INQUIRER.net
September 18, 2008

DOHA -- San Miguel Beer will have to work double time when it faces the Qatar national team on Thursday as the host country boasts a lineup that has only two players standing below 6-feet.

To make matters worse, Lordy Tugade, Danny Ildefonso and Mick Pennisi did not join the Beermen, who arrived here Tuesday night. Tugade is nursing an injury while Ildefonso and Pennisi have other commitments.

The 6-foot-5 Marc Pingris will play on Thursday but will return home for a family affair, missing the Beermen's succeeding games against Egypt's national squad and local ballclub Al Sadd.

Qatar's tallest player is 6-11 Hashim Zaidan Zaidan. It also has 6-foot-9 Omer Abgader Salem, 6-8 Ali Turki Ali, three 6-7 players in Erfan Ali Saeed, Baker Ahmad Mohammed and Hammam Omer Ismaili and 6-6 Khalid Suliman Abdi.

Only 5-7 Khalid Masoud Al Nasr and Mansour Atif Elhadary, who is 5-11, stand below 6 feet.

Coach Siot Tanquingcen thus expects Pingris and 6-6 Dorian Peña and Danny Seigle to rise to the occasion.

The game will also serve as a good workout for 6-7 Jay Washington, who was sent by Talk 'N Text to San Miguel last month.

Source: http://www.surfshop.net.ph/pba2/news/?id=5703

SanMig back with revitalized lineup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:14:00 +0000

SanMig back with revitalized lineup
By Waylon Galvez, Manila Bulletin
September 12, 2008

San Miguel Corporation has decided to bring the Beermen back and shelve Magnolia when the PBA opens its 34th season next month.

San Miguel is the league's all time leader in championships with 17 conference titles to its name but has not won a single title the last three years.

The team hopes to end the drought with new recruits from other teams.

The Beermen yesterday formally welcomed wingman Anthony Jay Washington, center Mick Pennisi and rookie guard Bon-Bon Custodio who all attended team practice and later met with the top executives of the company.

"We are happy with the players we got this off-season," said SMB team manager Hector Calma, a former national player who won seven of his eight PBA championships as a player of San Miguel in the 80s.

The 6-foot-6 Washington recently signed a three-year deal with SMB.

Although Calma refused to divulge details of the contract, he mentioned it's near the maximum salary of R350,000 monthly.

SMB got Washington via a trade with Talk 'N Text for the No. 3 overall pick in the PBA Rookie Draft few weeks back.

However, a league insider, who asked not to be named, said that Washington's contract is worth between R10 million to R12 million.

As for the 6-foot-9 Pennisi, the team obtained his rights from Red Bull, also via a trade in exchange for a first round pick next year.

The team will continue paying the remainder of his contract, which expires in 2010.

The addition of Washington and Pennisi solidified the team's frontline, specially now that former two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Danny Ildefonso is recuperating from a foot injury.

Aside from Ildefenso, the Beermen decided to place 6-foot-9 Samigue Eman, the No. 2 overall in last year's Rookie Draft, on the injured list.

The two will join the team's formidable frontline unit of Marc Pingris, Dorian Peña and Danny Seigle.

Washington, the former No. 1 pick in the Draft in 2005, played his first three seasons with TNT, while Pennisi was the last remaining Red Bull player from its original roster when it joined the PBA in 2000.

On the other hand, the 6-foot Custodio, who played for University of the East in the UAAP and for San Mig-Coffee in the PBL, inked a two-year deal.

He was drafted No. 8 overall in the first round.

"Maganda ang pinakikita ni Bon-Bon sa ensayo, and we're optimistic na makakatulong s'ya sa team," Calma said.

SMB inks J-Wash to P10M deal; rookie Bonbon signed too

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:14:00 +0000

SMB inks J-Wash to P10M deal; rookie Bonbon signed too
GMANews.TV
September 12, 2008

San Miguel Beer signed prized acquisition Jay Washington to a three-year contract approximately worth P10 million.

The Beermen also inked Bonbon Custodio to a two-year pact on Wednesday. Terms of Custodio's deal were not disclosed.

San Miguel acquired the six-foot-eight Washington, a Philippine Basketball Association Mythical Team member in 2007, from Talk 'N Text on the Rookie Draft day. In turn, the Beermen gave up their no.3 pick which turned out to be Jason Castro.

Custodio, the shooting guard out University of the East, was selected no. 8 overall by San Miguel.

The twin signings came on the day the Beermen also acquired big man Mick Pennisi from Red Bull.

Robert Non, chief of basketball operations of the San Miguel ballclubs, said that the signing of all players of Ginebra and San Miguel will be completed within the next three weeks.

Non said that team officials are waiting for the arrival of players who are still in vacation.

That includes Danny Seigle who has been rumored to be on the trading block after having a dismal tournament in the PBA Fiesta Cup.

Seigle was hardly a factor last conference, particularly in the Fiesta semifinals where the Beermen lost to the Air21 Express 4-2.

Big man Pennisi brings shooting touch to SMB 5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:13:00 +0000

Big man Pennisi brings shooting touch to SMB 5
GMANews.TV
September 12, 2008

A new breed of Red Bull Barakos will open the 2008-'09 season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) after the Photokina franchise finally let go of the only remaining link from its original core that entered the league eight years ago.

The Barakos unloaded Mick Pennisi and traded big-man shooter to San Miguel Beer in exchange for the Beermen's first-round draft pick in 2010.

The six-foot-11 Pennisi, an intimidating presence at the frontcourt with a great touch from the outside, was Red Bull's direct US-raised Filipino hire when it entered the pro league in 2000 following a successful stint in the amateurs.

With him in the original Red Bull roster were Lordy Tugade, Jimwell Torion, Davon Harp, Kerby Raymundo, Junthy Valenzuela and Bernard Tanpua, all of who were elevated by the franchise from its Philippine Basketball League ball club.

Tugade is with San Miguel, Raymundo with Purefoods and Valenzuela with Ginebra. Torion, Harp and Tanpua are already out of the league.

At San Miguel, Pennisi will be reunited with Tugade, his long-time Red Bull teammate.

"He's a great addition," said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen of Pennisi. "His experience will be of great help."

Bleeding over for Pals; 'Masters' survive Tigers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:42:00 +0000

Bleeding over for Pals; 'Masters' survive Tigers

Source: www.journal.com.ph

REN-REN Ritualo drained a double-pump jumper with 6.4 seconds left, and then Talk ‘N Text’s defense pulled through when it counted most as the Phone Pals snapped an alarming 5-game losing streak last night, holding off Purefoods, 102-101, in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The Phone Pals lost a 7-point lead in the last 1:53. But Ritualo was there to the rescue, barely beating the shot-clock and knocking in the winning basket despite an honest-to-goodness defense from Roger Yap.

The Giants still were left with plenty of time to steal the game, and devised an offense built around James Yap, a play similar to the one when Purefoods beat Red Bull in its previous outing on the 2006 MVP’s fallaway jumper with 0.7 seconds to go.

But Talk ‘N Text import Terrence Leather took the former MVP on the defensive end. James Yap took the inbounds pass from Roger Yap and drove to the basket, but deferred attempting and instead opted to dish off a pass to Roger Yap who was at the left corner.

Roger Yap made the attempt but was partially blocked by Ali Peek, the ball rolling into the shaded area as time expired.

“Well, it was a strategy that worked for us,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes of his decision to assign Leather on James Yap. “Kung binigay nila yung play kay Kerby (Raymundo) o hindi kaya kay (Reda) Rhalimi, then patay naman kami sa ilalim."

In the second game, Magnolia survived a furious rally by Coca-Cola in the endgame to eke out an 81-77 victory.

The Beverage Masters now improved to a 9-7 win-loss record tied with the Tigers.

Lordy Tugade was named Best Player of the Game, finishing with 14 points -- including the game-winning free throws -- to pace the Beverage Masters’ second straight victory.

The scores:
Talk ‘N Text (102) -- Leather 39, Cardona 17, Ritualo 16, Peek 10, Alapag 9, Carey 4, Allado 4, Belano 3, Washington 0, Chia 0, De Ocampo 0.
Purefoods (101) -- Rhalimi 21, Simon 19, Yap, J. 17, Villanueva 11, Lanete 10, Raymundo 9, Yap , R. 8, Evangelista 8, Salvador 0.
Quarterscores: 21-27; 41-50; 78-76; 102-101.

Magnolia (81) -- Tugade 14, Pena 13, McCaskill 12, Ildefonso 11, Pingris 10, Seigle 9, Racela 5, Hontiveros 5, Cortez 2, Villanueva 0.
Coca-Cola (77) -- Catli 17, Dixon 15, Taulava 15, Cabagnot 12, Copeland 9, Buenafe 6, Belasco 3, Calimag 0, Arigo 0, Telan 0.
Quarterscores: 17-19, 32-27, 59-58, 81-77.

'Masters' extend Realtors' woes; Express nip Pals

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:25:00 +0000

'Masters' extend Realtors' woes; Express nip Pals

By: Zean Macamay

Source: www.journal.com.ph

Standings
W L
Red Bull 9 5
Coca-Cola 9 5
Air21 9 6
Alaska 8 6
Magnolia 8 7
Talk N Text 7 8
Ginebra 6 8
Purefoods 6 8
Sta. Lucia 6 8
Welcoat 4 11

EVERYONE had their attention on the two new imports. Not long after, one of the newest local players to step onto the pro league was getting all the praises.

Rookie Jonas Villanueva scored a career-high 12 points including nine straight in a decisive fourth-quarter run and Magnolia held Sta. Lucia Realty to a season-low tying output, beating the Realtors last night, 80-74, in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Astrodome.

The former FEU stalwart and 9th pick in the 2008 draft shot 4-of-6 from the field and played much of his 19-minute stint on the floor orchestrating the Beverage Masters’ offense, a huge lift for a team that missed the services of Mike Cortez because of a stiff back.

“It just shows how talented he is,” said Magnolia coach Siot Tanquingcen of Villanueva. “He just has to pick his time, and tonight he stepped up.”

Amal McCaskill, Magnolia’s new import, collected 18 rebounds and 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting to lead the Beverage Masters, who now have eight wins in 14 games but still remain in solo fifth spot.

Dondon Hontiveros added 14 points, and Danny Seigle contributed 11 points and five rebounds for Magnolia, which lost to Red Bull in its previous game.

Lee Benson, the man that was the center of interest spawned by his background, did well for a first-timer import with 19 points and 17 rebounds. But the former NBA prospect who spent 8 1/2 years in prison only got a trickle of support from the rest, with Kelly Williams, back after missing one game for tying the knot in the U.S. , and Nelbert Omolon only the two players submitting double figure outputs.

It was the kind of game the Realtors wanted �" low-scoring and defense-oriented. But they couldn’t get into a flow on offense in the third quarter and were outscored, 23-14. When Magnolia erected a 14-point, 60-46 lead in the period, they never really mounted a serious rally.

As a result, Sta. Lucia was limited to a franchise-tying lowest production, with its previous low not too long ago when the Realtors lost to Philippine Cup Finals opponent Purefoods only last May 25, 82-74.

Actually, this was the second time that Villanueva set a career high on points. Against the Bulls last June 8, he scored 11 points but ended up on a losing cause, 84-75.

This time, he made sure he would carry the Beverage Masters to victory.
Villanueva, who has only averaged 4.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in nine games, clustered nine points early in the fourth quarter. When he was finished with his scoring spree, the Beverage Masters were comfortably ahead, 72-57.

Earlier, though, he was the one who gave Magnolia its biggest lead of the game, hitting a triple with 8:08 left in the game as the Beverage Masters took a 70-53 spread.

The win also will come as a fitting present for Seigle, who turns 32 today.
Already on a slump and trying to stop its longest losing streak in the season, Sta. Lucia now has gone deeper in the standings. The loss was the Realtors’ fourth straight, and dropped Sta. Lucia to 6-8 (win-loss) overall in a tie with Purefoods and Ginebra.

The Realtors have lost five of their last six, six of their eight, and eight of their last 10 outings since going 3-0 at the start of the conference. Sta. Lucia also has not won in this arena this conference, going 0-4.

In the second game, Air21 Express relied on Gary David’s heroics in the endgame to eke out a thrilling 112-111 come-from-behind victory against erstwhile powerhouse Talk N Text Phone Pals.

David scored the crucial free throw in the last 1.5 seconds of the game off a foul by Jimmy Alapag to turn disaster into victory.

That foul was sparked by a turnover of TNT’s Mac Cardona in the final 15 seconds of the game where the score was tied at 111-all, and that sealed the Express’ninth win in as many games.

David put on a stellar performance for the Express, finishing a personal conference high of 25 points, while Steve Thomas and KC Canaleta added 23 and 20 points, respectively.

Talk N Text’s new import, Terrance Leather, provided 29 points for his debut game, but it was not enough to power the Phone Pals to victory and dealt them their fifth straight loss since losing to Purefoods, 79-84, last May 21.

Jimmy Alapag and Jay Washington paced the Phone Pals with 19 and 14 points, respectively. With Elmer Manuel

The scores:
Magnolia (80) -- McCaskill 16, Hontiveros 14, Villanueva 12, Seigle 11, Pena 9, Pingris 7, Ildefonso 6, Tugade 5, Racela 0.
Sta. Lucia (74) -- Benson 19, Williams 16, Omolon 11, Espino 8, Mendoza 8, Miranda 6, Reyes 2, Aquino 2, Gonzales 2, Coronel 0.
Quarterscores: 20-16, 37-37, 60-51, 80-74.

Air21 (112) -- David 25, Thomas 23, Canaleta 20, De Ocampo 20, Se 8, Santos 7, Arboleda 7, Billones 5, Sotto 2, Kramer 0, Cruz 0.
Talk N Text (111) -- Leather 29, Alapag 19, Washington 14, Cardona 11, Peek 10, Carey 8, De Ocampo 8, Ritualo 6, Allado 4, Belano 2, Lao 0.
Quarterscores: 24-28, 50-57, 83-87, 111-112.

Tigers regain share of lead; Dragons torch Pals

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:29:00 +0000

Tigers regain share of lead; Dragons torch Pals

By: Zean Macamay and Elmer Manuel

Source: Journal.com.ph

Taulava: 21 points & 15 rebounds

Standings
W L
Red Bull 6 2
Coca-Cola 6 2
Talk N Text 5 3
Air21 4 3
Sta. Lucia 4 3
Magnolia 4 4
Welcoat 3 5
Purefoods 2 4
Alaska 2 5
Ginebra 1 6

Game Today: (Calape, Bohol)
4:30 p.m.-- Alaska vs Purefoods
Games Tomorrow: (Araneta Coliseum)
4:30 p.m. -- Sta. Lucia vs Air21
6:50 p.m. -- Ginebra vs Talk ‘N Text

MAGNOLIA did a good job containing Jaxon Dixon on offense. The Beverage Masters, though, forgot all about George Gervin, Jr.

The son of one of NBA’s greatest players scored a personal conference-high 35 points and Asi Taulava collected 21 points and 15 rebounds, powering Coca-Cola to a runaway 106-92 win over Magnolia last night in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

Gervin, Jr. shot shot 13-of-26 from the floor and hit 18 points from the three-point area as the replacement import for the injured Calvin Cage may have finally convinced team officials of a permanent stay, steering the Tigers to a share of the lead with idle Red Bull at 6-2.

"It was clear from the tip-off that they want to take Dixon out. And for most part of the game, they did a good job,” said Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis. “But I thought defense was the key, and Gervin really stepped up.”

Dixon was held to a tournament low among imports with seven points, constantly double-teaming the Coca-Cola giant down low. Without finding rhythm, Dixon only took six shots in 39 minutes of action and made half of those.

But Dixon still came away with 17 rebounds �" a personal conference high �" and added three assists and three steals.

For the second straight game, Lordy Tugade led the Beverage Masters in scoring. He had 23 points, but didn’t get the support this time from the bench as when Magnolia defeated Red Bull 102-95 in Lipa City last May 4.

Jameel Watkins contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds and Mike Cortez chipped in 14 points and six assists. Dondon Hontiveros was the only other Beverage Master in double figures with 11.

Already with 18 points at the halfway mark of the game, Gervin, Jr. was not finished in dismantling Magnolia’s defense.

He scored seven more in the third period, and then had 10 points when the Tigers broke the game wide open in the fourth quarter.

With the Tigers ahead only by four points 75-71 entering the final period, Gervin, Jr. had nine points in Coca-Cola’s game-deciding 20-6 blast and they suddenly found themselves way ahead, 95-77, with only 4:17 left in the match.

"For the first time, I think we won convincingly,” said Favis.

Much of Magnolia’s woes began when import Watkins was called for his fifth foul with only 22.8 seconds left in the third quarter. He returned with still 9: 23 remaining in the game, but hardly created an impact.

The loss was the fourth in eight games for Magnolia, which shot miserably from the floor, making only 31 of its 86 attempts for a poor 36 percent clip.

The Beverage Masters also were outrebounded, 59-51 and had less points off turnovers, 18-10. But they had more fastbreak points, 21-5.

In the second game, the Welcoat Dragons proved that their earlier victories over league giants were no fluke, as they eked out a come-from-behind 116-108 victory against favored Talk N Text.

Down by 15 points in the first half, the coach Caloy Garcia-mentored team suddenly rose from the ashes, with Rob Wainwright hitting crucial back-to-back treys that gave them their first taste of the lead, 100-97, with 4:18 remaining.

Joey Mente did his share, as he completed his free throws to give the Dragons their biggest lead, 102-97.

After that, there was no looking back for the Dragons.

Wainwright was named Best Player of the Game, finishing with 24 points -- 14 points in the final period -- and nine rebounds for the Dragons’ winning cause.

Talk N Text held the lead for actually the whole game, but their defense suddenly got soft in the final canto.

Welcoat improved to 3-5, while Talk N Text dropped from a share of second place to third place with a 5-3 slate.

Meantime, Purefoods parades a new import in Rheda Rhalimi, a seven-footer, when it clashes with Alaska in Bohol as both teams try to snap their respective three-game winning streaks.

Rhalimi, a Moroccan, replaces Darius Rice, an import with talented offensive skills and who once scored a conference-high 56 points.

Rice, however, is not regarded as an import suited for the Giants because of his selfish, individual ways that deprives James Yap and Kerby Raymundo of touches on the ball.

The scores:
First Game
Coke (106) -- Gervin 35, Taulava 21, Buenafe 13, Belasco 9, Cabagnot 8, Dixon 7, Telan 7, Macapagal 6, Catli 0, Dimaunahan 0.
Magnolia (92) -- Tugade 23, Watkins 14, Cortez 14, Hontiveros 11, Pingris 7, Calaguio 6, Samigue 4, Racela 4, Villanueva 3, Gonzales 3, Tolomia 3, Pena 0.
Quarterscores: 22-26, 50-51, 75-71, 106-92.
Second Game
Welcoat (116) -- Wainwright 24, Gainous 23, Santee 15, Reyes 15, Arana 13, De Vance 11, Mente 10, Ibanes 3, Isip 2, Dulay 0, Baguion 0.
Talk N' Text (108) -- Alapag 24, McGhee 22, Cardona 19, Washington 14, Ritualo 11, De Ocampo 8, Allado 6, Carey 2, Peek 2, Chia 0, Lao 0.
Quarterscores: 18-28, 55-60, 81-82, 116-108.

Coke repulses Magnolia, catches Red Bull at helm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:26:00 +0000

Coke repulses Magnolia, catches Red Bull at helm
By Nelson Beltran
Saturday, May 10, 2008

Source: Philstar.com

Imports Gee Gervin and Jason Dixon came through with personal conference-high numbers, and Coca-Cola regained a share of the lead in the Smart PBA Fiesta Cup with a 106-92 victory over Magnolia at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

Gervin pumped in 35 points while Dixon pulled down 17 rebounds and added seven points, giving the Tigers tremendous boost in notching a sixth win against two defeats.

Coca-Cola caught up with erstwhile solo leader Red Bull as the Tigers dealt the Beverage Masters their fourth loss against the same number of wins.

“It was clear right from the opening tip that Magnolia came into the game with a mindset of taking Dixon away from the game. But Dixon still had his rebounds, his teammates contributed big and we won for the first time a little convincingly,” said Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis.

The Tigers made a key run with Dixon resting on the bench early in the fourth quarter, erecting a 20-point margin in one instance before completing the 14-point victory.

Dixon was limited to seven points but he made up for this with 17 rebounds, three assists and three steals. This was his biggest rebounding effort since snaring 15 caroms in his debut in the league against Talk n Text.

Gervin, Asi Taulava and Ronjay Buenafe led the Tigers in their offensive thrust with Dixon forced by the Beverage Masters to concentrate on defense.

Meanwhile, PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios is reconvening his technical staff to review their decision on the Wesley Wilson-Adam Parada fracas as Air21 team manager and board representative Lito Alvarez lodged a protest on the non-suspension of the Sta. Lucia import.

Air21 was not directly involved on the issue but reversal of the decision that would suspend Wilson would benefit the Express in their match against the Sta. Lucia Realtors are squaring off tomorrow.

“I’m questioning the decision-making of the commissioner. I’m after consistency. He has upgraded the flagrant fouls committed by James Yap and Randy Holcomb causing their suspension. He has also suspended (Nino) Canaleta. Why not Wilson?” said Alvarez.

Alaska coach Tim Cone also questioned the commissioner’s decision sparing Wilson of suspension. Wilson committed a flagrant foul on Jojo Duncil sparking a fight that marred the Red Bull-Sta. Lucia game Wednesday.

“I find the commissioner’s ruling on Wilson totally unfair after suspending our import. Wilson’s foul was done with extreme malice and premeditated with intent to hurt. Holcomb’s foul was not. Wilson should have been suspended,” said Cone.

MAGNOLIA HALTS RED BULL RUN ON THE ROAD

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:32:00 +0000

MAGNOLIA HALTS RED BULL RUN ON THE ROAD

Tugade, Racela shine brightest against Barakos

Saturday, 03 May 2008

Source: pba.ph

LIPA CITY. – Enough of the classic Red Bull endgame comebacks and giant-killing ways.

The Magnolia Beverage Masters never let the Barakos come close to pulling off another miracle rally in the stretch of a 102-95 win on the road Saturday night.

Lordy Tugade torched his former team for 22 points while Olsen Racela turned back the hands of clock to score 19 markers – on a 7of-10 shooting from the field – for a Magnolia team that secured the victory by forcing 11 Red Bull turnovers and holding its opponent scoreless in a big game-turning third period.

Until that crucial meltdown, the Barakos were in complete control of the exciting game at the La Salle Centrum here.

Even without star forward Danny Seigle for the second straight game, the Beverage Masters continued their slow push on the upper half of the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference standings, notching their fourth win in seven games and somehow, easing the pain of their embarrassing 101-108 setback at the hands of the Welcoat Dragons Wednesday night.

Seigle again sat out the game due to a foot injury.

The Barakos, whose last two games were punctuated by thrilling comeback victories, meanwhile, fell to a share of the top spot with idle Coca-Cola, both with similar 5-2 (win-loss) cards.

Import Adam Parada led the team with 22 points and 24 rebounds but seemed too exhausted at the time the Beverage Masters were in the midst of their searing scoring run in the second half.

Red Bull thus failed in its bid to become the first team in the conference to win four in a row.

Trailing 60-68 with 5:52 to go in the third, Magnolia began to make its move which Racela sparked with a booming trey that led to an 11-0 blast.

The 15-year veteran guard then capped the run with a lay-up that barely beat the buzzer, giving the Beverage Masters a 71-68 lead heading to the final 12 minutes.

Red Bull allowed the deficit to balloon to as many as 85-74, before it found its rhythm and tried to make a last ditch rally.

And they almost succeeded.

A three-pointer by Mick Pennisi had the Barakos outscoring the opposition, 15-8, in a four-minute span that cut Magnolia’s lead to 89-93 with 1:46 left.

The Barakos were still in the game, 97-92, when the scoring binge finally fizzled out, cut short by a dagger trey courtesy of Hontiveros that made it an 8-point Magnolia lead.

Hontiveros also had 19 points for Magnolia, while import Jameel Watkins and Mike Cortez likewise finished in double figures with 18 and 10, respectively.

Averaging 25.3 points in the Barakos’ 3-game winning run, Cyrus Baguio was held to just 17 this time. (GR)

The scores:

Magnolia 102 – Tugade 22, Racela 19, Hontiveros 19, Watkins 18, Cortez 10, Pingris 6, Pena 4, Gonzales 2, Tolomia 2, Bono 0, Calaguio 0.

Red Bull 95 – Parada 22, Baguio 17, Hrabak 14, Duncil 8, Cruz 8, Pennisi 6, Najorda 5, Sharma 4, Alvarez 4, Ybanez 0, Adriano 0.

Quarterscores: 28-26; 49-55; 71-68; 102-95.

Ginebra Remains Winless

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:30:00 +0000

WELCOAT SCORES FIRST VICTORY; GINEBRA REMAINS WINLESS

dennis PRINCIPE

Monday, 21 April 2008

Source: www.sportsnews.ph

NOT only did Welcoat score their first win, the Dragons have also found a way to protect what is considered by more established teams a safe lead in the dying minutes of a game.

Welcoat finally notched their first ever victory this conference by defeating Purefoods TJ Giants, 110-103 in the resumption of the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Welcoat import Marquis Gainous topscored for the Dragons with 25 points but it was rookie Joe Devance who did the damage as he scored a personal conference high 16 points, nine of which in the final period to conclusively bring glee, at least last night, to what seemed to be a gloomy beginning for the Dragons.

Before the win the Dragons lost its first four games this conference as well as all its last 15 games dating back to the previous Philippine Cup. Their last two defeats could have been easily a victory for the Wellbest franchise lost come-from-behind efforts by opponents Coca-Cola Tigers (98-96) last April 9 and to the Alaska Aces (92-90) last Wednesday.

The Hawaii-born Devance, 26, drilled in a three-pointer minutes into the final canto to give Welcoat an 81-80 lead which they never relinquished from then on.

Welcoat surprised Purefoods with a blistering 17-6 attack to give the Dragons a 98-86 lead under four minutes remaining in the game.

Welcoat's frenzied assault somewhat simmered down after Purefoods import Darius Rice connected a three-pointer entering the three minute mark.

Welcoat’s new recruit Mark Isip who was part of the trade that sent Nic Belasco to Coke, converted a baseline jumper to give the Dragons its last taste of a double-digit lead, 100-89.

Purefoods guard Peter June Simon completed a fast break to pull within, 100-91. After an offensive miscue by Welcoat, Purefoods again closed the gap as Rice, fouled by Devance from beyond the three-point arc, converted three free throws.

Purefoods was able to steal the leather after those three free throws by Rice but the Giants failed to convert two attempts from outside the three-point area.

In what turned out to be the game’s turning point, Rob Wainwright, inbounding in front of their bench, found rookie Ryan Arana cutting from the baseline who then converted a quick undergoal stab to give Welcoat a 102-94 edge.

Arana, who missed one game after he fell and hit his head on the floor in their losing cause against Air21 last April 9, added nine points, six in the pivotal fourth canto.

Purefoods had their last gasp as veteran guard Roger Yap (22 points, 15 in the 4^th) completed a three point play off a foul by Marquis Gainous but Wainwright, who contributed 15 points for the Dragons, drilled in a three-pointer, his only basket in the final quarter.

Rice had 28 points for the Giants but what compounded their woes was the mediocre performance of former MVP James Yap who could only contribute seven markers, his lowest output in his last 105 games dating back to the 2006 Philippine Cup.

Meanwhile in the second game Magnolia extended their winning streak to three and handed Ginebra its fifth straight loss via a 95-92 squeaker.

In an out of town game over in Laoag Saturday night Red Bull downed Alaska Aces in overtime, 100-97

First Game:

Welcoat 110 -- Gainous 25, De Vance 16, Santee 15, Wainwright 15, Isip 10, Arana 9, Salangsang 7, Reyes 6, Ibanes 5, Tangkay 2, Dulay 0, Baguion 0, Sta. Maria 0.

Purefoods 103 -- Rice 28, Yap R. 22, Simon 15, Raymundo 15, Villanueva 8, Yap J. 7, Lanete 4, Salvador 2, Yee 2, Evangelista 0.

Quarterscores: 25-30, 52-51, 74-73, 110-103.

Second Game

Magnolia 95 – Watkins 20, Seigle 15, Tugade 12, Cortez 10, Hontiveros 10, Racela 9, Ildefonso 9, Pingris 5, Pena 3, Villanueva 2, Tolomia 0, Calaguio 0.

Ginebra 92 – Brown 18, Helterbrand 18, Caguioa 16, Valenzuela 10, Tubid 9, Mamaril 9, Artadi 6, Crisano 6, Salvacion 0. Pablo 0.

Quarters: 42-47, 68-70, 95-92.

Laoag Game

Red Bull 100 – Baguio 24, Parada, 19, Cruz 19, Hrabak 9, Sharma 8, Alvarez 7, Najorda 6, Robinson 4, Adriano 2, Ybanez 2, Pennisi 0.

Alaska 97 – Holcomb 29, Miller 14, Cariaso 14, Thoss 11, Tenorio 9, Dela Cruz 4, Ferriols 4, Laure 4, Hugnatan 2, Fonacier 0, Cabatu 0, Quinahan 0. Quarters: 22-16; 39-30; 53-55; 82-all, 100-97.

SEIGLE CONTINUES TO CONQUER PAIN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:22:00 +0000

SEIGLE CONTINUES TO CONQUER PAIN

Player of the Week April 7 – 13

Tuesday, 15 April 2008

A DANNY Seigle that is not even in full fighting shape is still a cut above the rest.

This the Magnolia forward proved by playing through pain, to be adjudged as the Accel-Smart PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period April 7-13.

Notwithstanding a recurring foot injury, Seigle has been consistently racking up the numbers, propping the Beverage Masters to back-to-back wins in the week that was in the Fiesta Conference and to an even 2-2 win-loss record overall.

As is his wont, Magnolia coach Siot Tanquingcen would not single out one player for his team’s revival from a sorry start. But he could not help but beam with pleasure at his prized 6-foot-6 forward’s continuing evolvement.

“We keep telling him not to force it, let the flow of the game come to him and be more patient,” said Tanquingcen. “He’s been trying to do that and we are all seeing his transformation into a more well-rounded player.”

Seemingly taking those pointers to heart, the 1999 Rookie of the Year gives up the ball more often, does not force his shots and has more decent percentages than what he’s had in the past.

Proofs are the numbers Seigle put up in the Beverage Masters’ wins over defending champion Alaska and Talk N Text, among the teams expected to go deep in the conference.

In an 89-81 breakthrough triumph over the Aces last Friday, Seigle had 18 points, 14 in the second half. He shot 6-of-11 from the floor, added six rebounds and spiked it up with three assists and a steal. He followed that up with a team-high 18 points on 8-of-14 field shooting, 10 rebounds, two assists and as many steals in a 91-86 victory over the Phone Pals last Sunday.

Those points are enough to keep Seigle in the company of Barangay Ginebra’s Mark Caguioa as the only locals to lead their respective teams in scoring in the
import-flavored tournament.

To think he was not even supposed to see extended minutes on the floor, bothered as he is by a nagging Achilles tendon injury that, as so often in the past, needed minor surgery after the Philippine Cup.

Which leads one with a boggled mind just trying to imagine what Seigle can do once he’s completely healed. (NCo)

Source: http://www.pba.ph/content/view/2065/1/

AIR21 HANDS COKE FIRST DEFEAT; MAGNOLIA BEATS PHONEPALS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:45:00 +0000

AIR21 HANDS COKE FIRST DEFEAT; MAGNOLIA BEATS PHONEPALS

dennis PRINCIPE
Sunday, 13 April 2008
THE Air21 Express relied on their vaunted defense in beating Coca-Cola Tigers, 102-95 in Sunday night’s Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference elimination round schedule at the Araneta Coliseum. Heads-up plays by local players Wynne Arboleda and Arwind Santos along with few but crucial plays from veteran Homer Se in the closing minutes gave the win for the Express who are mourning with the demise of the father of Air21 president and team manager Lito Alvarez. Alvarez’ father Aquilino died last Friday at age 84. Second import George Gervin, Jr. nearly had a decent debut for Coke but committed critical errors that led to Tigers’ downfall. After connecting a three-pointer with nearly three minutes remaining in the game and draw near the Express, 93-87, Gervin fumbled a pass to fellow American reinforcement Jason Dixon. That error gave the Express an already uncontested fast break but Gervin committed another blunder as he fouled an already airborne Santos who scored a basket. Though Santos missed the bonus shot, the situation gave Air21 the momentum they needed to seal the victory. Santos finished with 21 points, 10 in the final period while Arboleda added 17 points, 11 in the fourth period. Se also had 17 points and one undergoal stab in the dying minutes of the game. Gervin topscored for the Tigers with 26 points aside from issuing six assists but his lean frame may well be the chink in his armor, a factor that could make Tigers coach Binky Favis consider other available reinforcements. Dixon could only contribute 16 points, way below his conference average of 30.7 points. The only positive note on Coke’s game was the 1,000 career offensive rebounds achieved by Mark Telan. Air21 zoomed to a 24-9 lead late in the first quarter on a left-handed lay-up by rookie Doug Kramer. But Gervin, who planed in last week but had to sit out one game, led an 8-1 rally where he scored four points in ending the first quarter cutting the Express lead, 25-17. Gervin sat out the Tigers 98-96 win over Welcoat as he was said to be coming off a 20-hour trip. Like what happened in the first 12 minutes of action Air21 had a good start in the second quarter as they established a 38-27 lead under eight minutes to play. Gervin had another decent quarter as he poured in six points an issued three assists to again come in close for most part of the quarter capped by a buzzer beating three point shot from the right quarter court by rookie Ronjay Buenafe to end the second canto, 48-41. The Express snapped their back-to-back losses with the win and now have a 2-2 win-loss slate. After starting the conference with a 105-96 win over the Welcoat Dragons, Air21 dropped a 102-92 game against Red Bull last April 4 and a 102-94 loss to Purefoods last Wednesday. Air21 continues to rely on their defense as their most potent weapon as they have scored their last two wins in limiting their opponent to no more than 100 points. Last conference the Express where 5-1 in checking their foes below the century mark. Meanwhile in the second game Magnolia notched their second straight win by defeating Talk 'N Text Phonepals, 91-86. The Scores Air 21 102 -- Thomas 25, Santos 21, Se 17, Arboleda 17, De Ocampo 10, Canaleta 8, Kramer 2, Cruz 2, Sotto 0. Coke 95 -- Gervin 26, Dixon 16, Buenafe 11, Macapagal 10, Taulava 9, Belasco 8, Catli 6, Cabagnot 6, Telan 3. Quarterscores: 25-17, 48-41, 67-65, 102-95. Second Game Magnolia 91 -- Seigle 18, Hontiveros 17, Watkins 14, Villanueva 11, Pingris 10, Cortez 7, Ildefonso 7, Racela 4, Pena 3, Tugade 0. Talk N' Text 86 -- McGhee 22, Allado 15, Washington 13, Cardona 10, Alapag 8, Ritualo 8, De Ocampo 5, Ferreria 2, Peek 2, Carey 1, Chia 0, Belano 0. Quarterscores: 24-24, 49-41, 71-63, 91-86. Source: http://www.sportsnews.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=676&Itemid=1

RICE LIFTS PUREFOODS PAST MAGNOLIA AFTER 2 OTs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:22:00 +0000

RICE LIFTS PUREFOODS PAST MAGNOLIA AFTER 2 OTs

Giants’ import hits winning basket, erupts for 56 big points

Wednesday, 02 April 2008

NOT even the collective effort of Magnolia proved enough to negate the individual explosiveness of Purefoods import Darius Rice.

The nephew of football legend Jerry Rice knocked in 56 big points in his Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) debut, including a coast-to-coast drive to the basket that lifted the Giants to a pulsating 127-126 double OT victory over the Beverage Masters in a thrilling 2008 Smart Fiesta Conference game Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The 6-foot-10 former University of Miami stalwart went 6-of-17 from three-point range, the last of which was a step-back trey in the final 1:40 of regulation play that tied the game at 101 and set the stage for the exciting finish.

The 56-point output of the 25-year-old Rice is the biggest individual score registered in a game in the league since former Best Import Derek Brown finished with 57 points for Sta. Lucia in a 99-120 losing cause to San Miguel Beer on April 25, 2004 in the inaugural Fiesta Conference.

“Darius Rice is as good as advertised,” were the first words uttered by a beaming Ryan Gregorio, the Purefoods coach, after the game that took 58 minutes to complete. “I’ve seen some amazing shots tonight, including a three-pointer that I think was a low percentage shot, but thank God, it went in.”

Rice already showed portent of things to come when he finished with 27 points at the half, though the Giants trailed, 45-54.

“That’s all?,” asked the sensational import when asked if he was aware of his final output, the second all-time highest output in the Fiesta Conference since Brown's 57 and the highest output by a debuting import since Jerod Ward had 61 for Mobiline in a 93-87 win over Barangay Ginebra in his first game in the 2001 Commissioner's Cup.

“Honestly, I was not thinking about my score. I’m just playing in there and trying to help the team win,” added the second cousin of former NBA hotshot Glenn Rice.

Following the win, Purefoods finds itself in a four-way tie on top with Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Air21 and reigning all-Filipino champion Sta. Lucia.

James Yap added 20 points for the Giants, Enrico Villanueva added 16 and 11 rebounds in his first game with his new team while Kerby Raymundo had 11 markers, but missed a potential game-winning reverse layup with four seconds left in the first overtime and the score tied at 116-116.

The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the Beverage Masters, who led by as many as 14, 65-51, early in the third.

What cost Magnolia the game, especially late in the overtime periods, were several turnovers, two of which Dondon Hontiveros committed in succession.

But the most damaging of them came in the final six seconds of the second extra period when Mike Cortez, acquired by Magnolia in a blockbuster trade with Alaska, threw a weak pass which Rice anticipated. The Purefoods import then went all the way to the basket to peg the final count.

Hontiveros led the Beverage Masters with 29 points while import Jameel Watkins
contributed 23 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out with 1:22 in the second overtime. His putback off a Cortez miss in regulation sent the game into its first extension, 108-108.

Danny Seigle, unmindful of the Achilles injury he sustained in the conference break, added 19 and four other players were in double figures for Magnolia, including Danny Ildefonso (10), who missed a potential game-tying basket at the buzzer that could have forged a third overtime. (GR)

BUZZER-BEATER: Rice's 56 was also the first 50-point output in the league since Asi Taulava had a career-high 51 in a 131-105 win over Purefoods on May 16, 2004 also during the inaugural Fiesta Conference... No player has scored at least 60 points in a game since Askia Jones had that exact output for Shell on Nov. 4, 2001 in a 111-88 rout of Sta. Lucia in the Governors Cup. (FM)

The scores:

Purefoods 127 – Rice 56, J Yap 20, Villanueva 16, Raymundo 11, Simon 10, Lanete 6, R. Yap 5, Salvador 2, Yee 1.

Magnolia 126 – Hontiveros 29, Watkins 23, Seigle 19, Tugade 13, Pingris 12, Cortez 11, Ildefonso 10, Calaguio 5, Racela 2, Pena 2, Tolomia 0.

Quarterscores: 24-27; 45-54; 75-82; 108-108 (reg); 116-116 (1st OT); 127-126.

Source: http://www.pba.ph/content/view/2046/1/

New players plug Magnolia's holes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:49:00 +0000

New players plug Magnolia's holes

by Roy Luarca
Source: INQUIRER.net | April 2, 2008

A fearless rebounder, a burly shooter, a flashy playmaker and a reliable reliever.

The Magnolia Beverage Masters have all bases covered with their prime acquisitions - Marc Pingris, Kenneth Bono, Mike Cortez and Chester Tolomia - for the PBA Fiesta Cup.

Pingris, a 6-foot-5 high leaper and shot blocker and Kenneth Bono, a 6-5 post-up player with a mean jumper, are expected to further shore up Magnolia's interior defense and make the Beverage Masters a power off the boards.

Projected to become the team's top point guard is the 6-foot Cortez, a sneaky passer, while the 6-3 Tolomia is a slasher and pesky defender off the bench.

No wonder, Magnolia's go-to-guy Danny Seigle couldn't be happier.

"These guys are really welcome additions to the team," said Seigle. "And just like before, I like what I am seeing. Everyone in the team is talented, and all we need is time to play together and combine our individual strengths."

Cortez will eventually succeed veteran Olsen Racela in orchestrating the plays for the Beverage Masters, who carry the flag of San Miguel Beverages Inc (SMBI) brands like Magnolia Healthtea and Fruit Drinks.

"I'm excited to make this team and I know for sure that it's going to be different," said Cortez. "From the start, I already feel that I'm a part of the family."

Cortez, however, believes that he has to learn a lot more from Racela and Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen on how the team runs as the Fiesta Conference progresses.

Pingris and Bono are proven players who will ease the pressure off regular big men Dorian Pena, Danny Ildefonso and Samigue Eman right away.

"I can help the team in defense and rebounding," said Pingris in Filipino. "This will be a new adjustment for me, but its okay as long as I could be of helm to the team. "

Aside from throwing his over 250-pound weight around the paint, Bono feels he could also help the Beverage Masters offensively with his smooth touch from the outside.

Source: http://www.ngetstudio.com/news/?id=4093

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RICE LIFTS PUREFOODS PAST MAGNOLIA AFTER 2 OTs

New players plug Magnolia's holes

New players plug Magnolia's holes

by Roy LuarcaSource: INQUIRER.net | April 2, 2008

by Roy Luarca
Source: INQUIRER.net | April 2, 2008