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STA.
LUCIA’S unheralded young warriors and its tireless
defensive effort propelled the long-shot Realtors to a
92-84 victory over the Alaska Aces in the deciding Game
Seven of their semifinal series and into the finals of
the 2007-08 Smart-Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Cup.
The Realtors have never been in the
finals since capturing the Governor’s Cup in 2001—the
franchise’s only title so far—and their hunger to win
another one was evident last night before a crowd
of 17,000 at the Araneta Coliseum.
They were ruthless in offense, attacking
the lane at every opportunity, and their ferocious
defense silenced Alaska’s deadly backcourt trio of
Willie Miller, Jeffrey Cariaso and Mike Cortez that
eventually turned the playoff-experienced Aces into a
dysfunctional unit.
“I’m so happy. The boys did what they
have to do. They never gave up and they showed
tremendous teamwork,” said Sta. Lucia novice coach Boyet
Fernandez, who has not won a championship as a player
during his entire 12-year career in the league.
Sta. Lucia’s run-up to the finals was
totally unexpected. With a revamped roster that was
described by many as rag-tag, the Realtors were never
given a Chinaman’s chance to make the semifinals, much
more contend for the championship.
But they overcame the odds with
tenacious defense, grit and determination.
“Nagbunga din ang mga paghihirap namin.
I guess the coaches also deserved the credit. They
prepared really well for this conference,” said Dennis
Espino, who along with Marlou Aquino and Paolo Mendoza
are the only remaining members of the 2001 champion
team.
Rookie Ryan Reyes, in a slump for most
part of the series, brought his A-game in the most
appropriate moment, leading all scorers with 21 points.
He also did an exemplary job on defense, holding Miller,
the reigning Most Valuable Player, to just 10 points (he
was scoreless in the fourth) on five-of-14 shooting.
All together, Sta. Lucia’s starting five
scored all but 10 of the team’s total output. Kelly
Williams scored 19 points and cornered 15 rebounds,
Nelbert Omolon had 17 and 12 boards, Espino registered
17 and had three assists and Dennis Miranda added eight
points and seven assists.
“My tendonitis has been bothering me all
conference but I just tried to help the team. If we keep
playing the way we did today, I think we could make it
all the way,” said Reyes, Sta. Lucia’s first-round pick
in the 2007 rookie draft.
Game One of the best-of-seven finals
will start on Friday. The Realtors will play the winner
of the other semifinal series between the Red Bull
Barakos and the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.
Sta. Lucia broke the game apart in the
second quarter by holding Alaska to just five-of-10
shooting, and forced the Aces to 12 errors that earned
them 13 big points.
That decisive quarter saw the Realtors
outscoring the Aces, 24-15, to take the half at 45-31.
Sta. Lucia notched its biggest lead at
20 points (59-39 and 61-41) in the third quarter.
Alaska coach Tim Cone said the Realtors
deserved to be in the finals.
“They played real hungry. And Boyet
[Fernandez] really got his team ready every game.
They’re really focused,” Cone said.
Just
make it clear
PHILIPPINE Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner
Sonny Barrios wants to send a clear message to
television outfits who would bid for the coverage of the
league in the coming season—just make your signal clear.
Barrios stressed what the PBA needs is a
broadcast outfit which could transmit clearly to league
fans, especially in the provinces.
“That’s one aspect na gusto natin
ma-improve as far as television coverage of the PBA
games is concerned,” said Barrios, “a clear signal in
the provinces.”
The league will begin sending out
invitations to prospective bidders early this week and
Barrios said what they want to see is an improvement on
the quality of the signal of the PBA games in television
sets.
--With
Joel Orellana |
