barangay-ginebra

Tigers beat Aces; Ginebra nails semis slot

Mon, 25 May 2009 06:35:50 +0100

ANTIPOLO— It was evident that COca-Cola wanted it more.

The Tigers chased every loose ball, contested every rebound and played with a lot more desire in holding off the Alaska Aces, 81-74, last night at the Ynares Center to secure the No. 8 seeding in the wild card phase of the Motolite PBA Fiesta Cup here.

James Penny scored 12 of his 29 points in the breakaway second period and coach Kenneth Duremdes pulled an ace out of his sleeve in seldom-used RJ Rizada as the Tigers earned a knockout match against No. 5 Sta. Lucia on Wednesday.

“I give all credit to the players, it had been a tough (last) five days,” said Duremdes, referring to two crucial matches that included a convincing win against San Miguel on Friday which he said gave the Tigers a confidence boost.

“That was a big game for us, because it gave us the confidence (coming into this game),” added the former MVP.

Coca-Cola blanked the Aces in the final three minutes of the second period, breaking free from a 30-all game to take the half with a nine-point lead before pouring it on some more in the final two quarters to win with conviction.

Their performance was far from the lethargic, oftentimes mediocre, games that the Tigers produced throughout the classification phase.

The loss was a big letdown for the Aces who came into the game inspired by a great win over Barangay Ginebra also on Friday. The Aces made just 3-of-11 free throws and their three triples for the night came only inside the final 4:49.

Now Alaska has to win two straight times against the No. 4 team, Burger King, to stay alive in the playoffs.

Coca-Cola took leads of as many as 16 late in the third period as Asi Taulava bullied his way inside the paint to complete a three-point play with three minutes left in the third quarter for 58-42.

Coca-Cola dominated the Aces thoroughly from there until Alaska strung up nine unanswered points—which proved to be its last gasp—for 73-69 with 1:23 left.

Rizada, who can always look forward to a promising golf career once his cage stint is over, scored a career-high 11 points in 21 minutes. He had the rare chance to start in just his fourth game of the tournament.

The 6-foot-2 swingman also helped put the cuffs on former two-time MVP Willie Miller, who struggled all night until he broke loose in the fourth when he hit three triples to finish with 17.

The Ginebra Gin Kings, meanwhile, vented their ire on Rain or Shine to score a 114-71 victory that finally nailed for them an outright Final Four seat.

The form that the Kings displayed was precisely the same they showed Friday night when they erased a 21-point third quarter deficit to lead in the fourth period only to be beaten by a Willie Miller layup with 4.6 seconds left.

Against the Painters, the Kings jumped out of the gates hard and never looked back to post the most lopsided victory of the season and the biggest winning margin for the franchise in the last 16 years

Aside from joining sister team San Miguel in the Final Four outright, Ginebra will enjoy at least two weeks of rest while the eight other teams in the field slug it out in the wild card starting Wednesday.

“Though we will be having a long rest, the advantages (of being in the semifinals outright) far outweigh the disadvantages,” coach Jong Uichico said.

The loss dropped Rain or Shine to No. 3. The Painters will play Barako Bull in the quarterfinals starting Wednesday.

The scores:

First Game
COCA-COLA 81—Penny 29, Taulava 18, Rizada 11, Buenafe 7, Belasco 6, Telan 5, Macapagal 3, Cabagnot 2, Dimaunahan 0, Singson 0, Misolas 0.

ALASKA 74—Miller 17, Dela Cruz 16, Ellis 13, De Vance 10, Thoss 7, Tenorio 6, Hugnatan 4, Borboran 1, Fonacier 0, Ferriols 0, Cablay 0, Cariaso 0.
Quarters: 18-20, 39-30, 61-51, 81-74

Second Game
BARANGAY GINEBRA 114—Tubid 18, Noel 17, Baguio 16, Helterbrand 12, Salvacion 12, Lanete 10, Artadi 10, Mamaril 5, Reavis 5, Se 4, Menk 2, Pacana 2, Intal 1.

RAIN OR SHINE 71—Reyes 17, Norwood 12, Arana 9, Laure 7, Lewis 6, Tang 6, Andaya 6, Laure 6, Salangsang 3, Mercado 2, Ibanes 2, Dulay 1, Isip 0, Wainwright 0.
Quarters: 30-14, 50-24, 76-48, 114-71

Ginebra beats Rain or Shine, enters semis

Mon, 25 May 2009 06:29:21 +0100

Barangay Ginebra jumped the gun on Rain or Shine early and hammered out a 114-71 decision in their playoff match to pocket the remaining automatic semifinal seat in the 2008-09 Motolite-Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference Sunday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

David Noel bounced back from a mediocre performance in the previous game as he unloaded 13 of his 17 points in the first quarter that set the tone for the Kings en route to the easy victory.

"This is all we need to get our confidence back," said Noel who was held to just seven points in Ginebra's 75-76 loss to Alaska last Friday that denied the team an early entry in the best-of-seven semifinal series.

Ronald Tubid led seven Ginebra players in double figures with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Cyrus Baguio chipped in 16 off the bench for coach Jong Uichico, who joined his former team San Miguel Beer in the semis.

Jay-R Reyes was the lone bright spot for the Elasto Painters with 17 points as import Jai Lewis was limited to just six points on 2-of-5 shooting in 28 minutes of play.

Rain or Shine went down to No. 3 spot and will face Barako Bull in the knockout wildcard pairing. The Elasto Painters will enjoy a twice-to-beat edge.

Ginebra led by as much as 46 points in the game, 112-66 under two minutes left.

In the first game, Coca-Cola knocked off Alaska in their own playoff match, 81-74, to grab the No. 8 spot and face Sta. Lucia Realty in another do-or-die contest.

James Penny fired a game-high 29 points, including a crucial basket in the last minute of the game that thwarted the rally of the Aces, who almost erased Coke's 14-point lead in the last five minutes of the game.

"This is a big win for us," said Tigers head coach Kenneth Duremdes. "The game against Ginebra (where they lost by 37 points) helped us a lot and get motivated. Now, our confidence is back and we can compete again."

The win shoved Coke to another knockout contest, this time against the well-rested Realtors, who might play without their MVP Kelly Williams because of health problem.

"Even without Kelly, Sta. Lucia is still a dangerous. They still have Ryan (Reyes) and (Anthony) Johnson at solid din ang kanilang support cast led by Joseph Yeo," Duremdes added.

Behind Asi Taulava, Penny and RJ Rizada, Coke built a 71-54 lead with 5:09 remaining before the Aces unloaded a furious 12-2 run led by Willie Miller to close the gap, 69-73, 1:23 left.

But Penny hit a difficult drive against a phalanx of Alaska defenders to push their lead back to 75-69, a little over a minute remaining.

Tony dela Cruz had the chance to put the Aces back in the game but he missed a wide-open three-pointer that led to six free throws from the Tigers to seal the win.

Miller led Alaska with 17 points while Dela Cruz contributed 16. The Aces were relegated to No. 9 spot and have to win twice against Burger King to move to the best-of-three quarterfinal round

Ginebra wallops Rain or Shine, grabs semis seat

Sun, 24 May 2009 14:29:45 +0100

MANILA, Philippines - Barangay Ginebra turned its highly-anticipated playoff game with Rain or Shine into a lopsided match, blowing the Elasto Painters away, 114-71, to secure the no. 2 outright semifinals berth in the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Cup at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo Sunday night.

The Kings dominated from start to finish, racing to an early 30-14 lead from which the Elasto Painters never recovered.

Import David Noel set the tone for that blazing start by the defending champions, scoring 13 of his 17 points during that breakaway stretch.

“This is something that we need as we prepare for the coming semifinals," said Noel, who added six rebounds and whom coach Jong Uichico no longer fielded in during the entire payoff period when the Kings already had the game wrapped up.

Ronald Tubid topscored with 18 points while Cyrus Baguio had 16 for the Kings, who now join sister team and early qualifier San Miguel Beermen into the Final Four.

Ginebra began the season-ending meet with a 1-5 record, but turned its fortune for good following the arrival of Noel, who replaced original choice Rod Neily.

With Noel in tow, the Kings racked up seven straight wins to rise from the bottom of the standings.

They eventually ended their elimination campaign with an 8-1 record, including the runaway win over the Elasto Painters.

Except for a 1-0 count, Rain or Shine wasn’t really in the game against Ginebra, trailing by as many as 45 (114-69) with a few second remaining in the one-sided match.

Jay-R Reyes had 17 points to show the way for the Elasto Painters, who only got six markers from high-scoring import Jai Lewis.

The loss relegated Rain or Shine into the wild card phase, where it owns a twice-to-beat edge over 10th seeded Barako Bull.

No. 4 Burger King also owns a twice-to-beat incentive against ninth seed Alaska.

In the other playoff pairings, no. 5 Sta. Lucia battles no. 8 Coca-Cola while no. 6 Talk `N Text takes its on no. 7 Purefoods in a pair of knockout matches. -GMANews.TV

Kings, Painters dispute last semis seat

Sat, 23 May 2009 18:24:47 +0100

DEFENDING champion Ginebra and Rain or Shine fight for the second outright semifinals berth Sunday in a sudden death playoff in the 2009 PBA-Motolite Fiesta Conference at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City.

The Kings and the Elasto Painters, who both completed the classification phase with identical 8-6 slates, collide at 6:30 p.m., while Alaska and Coca-Cola figure in another rubber match for the eighth spot at 4 p.m.

Ginebra was forced to the playoff following a pulsating 76-75 setback to Alaska the other day, thanks to Willie Miller’s gutsy drive in the last 4.7 seconds of the game.

The Kings’ loss forged a three-way tie at second along with the Elasto Painters and the Burger King Titans at the end of the elimination, but Ginebra and Rain or Shine came up with the better quotient to earn the playoff slots.

Both the Kings and the Elasto Painters split their two meetings in the elimination round.

In the other match, Coca-Cola, which won over San Miguel
Beer in its last assignment (105-89), has the edge over Alaska by
virtue of its 89-85 victory in their lone elimination round encounter
last April 12.

The winner between the Tigers and the Aces will settle for the eighth
spot and will face the No. 7 finisher Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the wildcard phase.

At the end of the classification, the No. 3 squad and No. 4 Burger King will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage against No. 10 Barako Bull and the No. 9 finisher, respectively, while No. 5 Sta. Lucia squares off with No. 6 Purefoods in the other knockout affair

Alaska spoils Ginebra’s outright semis entry

Sat, 23 May 2009 18:30:40 +0100

MANILA, Philippines – Alaska nipped Barangay Ginebra, 76-75, to thwart the Kings’ bid for an outright entry into the semifinals of the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Cup Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The victory gave the Aces a chance to gain the eighth spot through a playoff against Coca-Cola, which won, 105-89, versus semifinalist San Miguel Beer in the first game.

Alaska and Coca Cola ended the eliminations with identical 8-6 marks and the loser in the playoff will fall to ninth spot which like the 10th placer Barako Bull will have to win twice against their wild card opponents.

Ginebra, on the other hand, will have another chance at bagging the second and last outright semifinal berth in another playoff this Sunday against Rain or Shine.

Ginebra, Rain or Shine and Burger King actually finished the elimination round tied for third to fifth spots, but better quotient gave the Kings and Elasto Painters the shot at taking the automatic semis spot.

The Aces were ahead by as much as 21 points in the match and were holding a 68-48 advantage at the start of the final period until Billy Mamaril started a rally with a three-point play.

Then Chito Lanete, Cyrus Baguio and Jayjay Helterbrand took turns with their outside snipings from the three-point area to erase the Aces’ double-digit advantage.

Helterbrand's back-to-back baskets even gave the Gin Kings a 73-71 lead down the stretch.

But after Raffy Reavis’ two free throws, that gave Ginebra a slim 75-74 edge, Miller scored on a lay-up for the final tally giving the Aces the win.
“Sinuwerte kami, lalo na dun sa layup ko. Sumesenyas si coach (Tim Cone) ng time out hindi ko nakita, ayon sumugod ako," said Miller.

The Gin Kings had another chance at winning the match but David Noel was whistled for an offensive foul in Ginebra's last ball possession. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV

Ginebra’s Baguio faces physical injury charges

Fri, 22 May 2009 17:18:41 +0100

MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra’s high-leaping guard-forward Cyrus Baguio has been accused of beating up a man during an incident in Quezon City last week.

Bagiuo faces charges of physical injuries after his supposed friend, Herby Joy Estacio, filed a complaint at the Quezon City Prosecutors Office on Monday.

In his complaint, Estacio claimed Baguio and his companion allegedly punched him during a party last May 14 at the house of a certain Lani Illio in UP Village, Quezon City.

According to Estacio, Baguio asked him to go out of the house but he was surprised when the cager allegedly punched him on the face. Baguio’s unnamed companion allegedly threw a punch as well, and the complainant claimed he suffered abrasions, multiple hematoma, contusions and superficial laceration due to the incident.

Speaking on behalf of Baguio, his agent/adviser Danny Espiritu told GMANews.TV that the Ginebra ace would not be making any comment on the incident since, he claimed, “it is too personal not only for himself but also for the family of the complainant."

But Baguio, according to Espiritu, is ready to face his accusers and air his side in the proper forum. – GMANews.TV