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PLAYING
four tough games in a span of 12 days apparently wore
down Kerby Raymundo and James Yap and it showed in their
game during a forgettable first half.
But
Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio isn’t the type who gives
up easily. He turned to his subs when the going got
tough and the Giants wound up snatching another W.
Rookie
free agent Chico Lanete scored all his 12 points in the
second half and keyed a decisive charge by Purefoods in
the fourth quarter as the Giants repeated over the Sta.
Lucia Realtors, 84-81, last night at the Araneta
Coliseum.
It was
the ninth win in 10 games for the Giants in the
Smart-Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup
and a comfortable lead over their closest pursuers.
Lanete,
a quick, hardworking point guard with a soft touch, was
a one-man wrecking crew in the fourth and his energy
provided inspiration to his teammates.
After
Joseph Yeo gave the Realtors a 55-50 lead just minutes
into the fourth quarter, Lanete made his presence felt
on both ends of the floor and sparked Purefoods’s
offense.
In just
a span of 60 seconds, the Giants outscored the Realtors,
12-2. Lanete started that spurt with a lay-up and ended
by sinking four free throws that shoved the Giants to a
67-57 lead.
“It was
the bench mob who delivered for us tonight,” Gregorio
proclaimed during the postgame interview.
“Our
starters, particularly Kerby and James, were too tired
after playing four tough games. It was evident we didn’t
have the legs in the first two quarters. But the good
thing is our bench led by Chico was there to pick up the
slack.”
Rookie
Robert Sanz also had an outstanding performance, taking
away the game of Sta. Lucia star Kelly Williams (27
points, nine rebounds) in the second half.
Williams, who had 13 points including three-for-three
from the three-point range in the first half, was
visibly quiet in the second as Sanz never lost his sight
on the Sta. Lucia sophomore and made him earn for his
points.
It was
another frustrating loss for the Realtors, who blew a
16-point lead and lost, 89-96, in their first meeting on
October 17. Last night, they led by as many as 10
points, 38-28, at halftime but didn’t have the finishing
kick.
Sta.
Lucia closed out the first round of eliminations with a
4-5 (win-loss) record.
Things
started to turn sour for the Realtors in the third that
saw them shooting just 31 percent from the field, thus
enabling the Giants, who shot 60 percent, to trim the
gap at the end of the period to 50-53.
As
consolation though, Marlou Aquino, who blocked Rommel
Adducul with 11:40 left in the fourth, now has a total
of 1,000 blocks to join the elite company of the Sultan
of the Swats that include Ramon Fernandez, Philip Cezar,
Benjie Paras and Jerry Codiñera. |
