Thursday, July 24, 2008
Gary David Strikes as Air21 Express Gets Back in Groove
People could have burned me in the stakes with my bold prediction yesterday that the Magnolia Beverage Masters will take a 2-0 lead. Well, it seems that the team is also inflicted with this problem called "complacency" as it lost a close ballgame against the Air21 Express.
Complacency can be traced back to the team's slow start on defense according to some forum observants. The half-time score of 58-59 cannot deny that fact. And obviously we let the Air21 take control as we are playing their offense-oriented basketball brand of play. And this ballgame is no exception with the score reflecting the result - we lose the ballgame.
How to get back on the winning track? It's really very simple. The players should be reminded how we are able to win against the Coca-Cola Tigers. That is to play excellent stingy defense in 48 minutes of action. Danny Seigle is back from sick bay and already showed promise by producing 11 points in just 15 minutes of action. With that, I firmly believe that we can immediately bounce back from this defeat.
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Air21 back in groove as Thomas returns
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
July 23, 2008
True to his words, Steven Thomas made up for his absence the last time out.
Not that he made hulking numbers but Thomas' mere presence provided Air21 much boost as the Express got back at the Maggnolia Beverage Masters, 103-102, in Game Two of their 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
"It's not the numbers that Thomas puts in that make the difference. It's just his presence," said coach Bo Perasol as his troops avenged their 87-113 blowout by the Maggnolia Beverage Masters Sunday on the absence of Thomas.
"The numbers can be compensated by our locals but not the leadership and confidence Thomas' presence instantly brings in to the basketball team," Perasol added.
Thomas missed the series opener on his late return from a brief US journey to attend tryouts for the Korean basketball league.
On his return, no one was more pumped up than Gary David who fired 26 points, including all of the Express' last six markers. The one-time PBL MVP winner tossed in only nine points Sunday.
Ranidel de Ocampo, Wynne Arboleda and Homer Se, had significant contributions, combining for 51 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
Arwind Santos, a candidate in the basketball MVP race, struggled for only seven points but put up a big defensive gem in the closing seconds, foiling Mike Cortez's attempt to steal the basketball game.
The Maggnolia Beverage Masters gain an opportunity to salvage the basketball game on back-to-back errors by the Express, the last one by Wynne Arboleda setting up Cortez for one final attempt to win the basketball game.
Santos, however, stood his ground, challenging Cortez's layup.
The former FEU standout himself was after the looseball when the final buzzer sounded, ending Maggnolia Beverage Masters' bid for a 2-0 lead in the basketball series.
"It's now down to a best-of-five affair and we know we can win against Maggnolia Beverage Masters," said Perasol.
The Maggnolia Beverage Masters and the Express fight for the 2-1 lead in Game Three at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Amal McCaskill was still a steady presence even with the return of Thomas, coming through with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
Cortez, Danny Ildefonso and Dondon Hontiveros had their contributions but the Maggnolia Beverage Masters yielded crucial grounds on the Express in the fourth quarter.
Danny Seigle returned from sickbay, chipping in 11 points and two rebounds in 15 minutes of basketball action. (NC
The Scores:
Air21 103 - David 26, De Ocampo 22, Arboleda 19, Thomas 15, Se 10, Santos 7, Cruz 2, Sotto 2, Kramer 0, Intal 0, Canaleta 0.
Maggnolia 102 - McCaskill 25, Cortez 19, Ildefonso 14, Hontiveros 13, Seigle 11, Pingris 8, Tugade 8, Racela 4, Pena 0.
Quarterscores: 29-28, 58-59, 81-74, 103-102
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