Magnolia Beverage Masters Basketball Games Updates

MIKE CORTEZ FREE THROW AGAINST FORMER TEAM WINS IT FOR MAGNOLIA: Beverage Masters’ win hands Air21 Express first outright semis berth

It was a close game right from the start with Magnolia controlling the basketball game most of the time. It was a down-the-wire win for the team with Mike Cortez missing the first free throw that could eventually seal out the victory by deliverately missing the second one to melt the 0.3 seconds of the clock. He sanked out the second one, gave a one-point lead, but gave back a catch and shoot possession for the Alaska Aces.

The basketball game was not decided until Larry Fonacier missed his hail mary three point shot.

The win gave the team a slim shot at the automatic semifinals playoff and gave Air21 Express a free ride to the semifinals. Our fate rests on Red Bull losing two of its remaining games and hope that they have a higher quotient with other teams who will possibly tie them at 10-8 standings.

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Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Sunday, 29 June 2008

Mike Cortez made 1-of-2 two foul shots with three-tenths of a second remaining as Magnolia Beverage Masters won against his former team and defending champion Alaska, 80-79, to end its elimination round with a 10-8 card in the season-ending Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

With the score tied at 79-all, Cortez got the ball from import Amal McCaskill inside the shaded lane and went for a lay-up. A foul, however, was called on the Aces import Randy Holcomb, his sixth, which put Cortez on the line. He missed the first attempt, but calmly sank the second for the marginal basket.

Alaska called a 30-second timeout after Cortez missed his first free throw shot and a full timeout after the second.

But Larry Fonacier’s jumper at the left corner with 0.3 second fell short.

The Beverage Masters’ win gave them a chance to contend for a playoff berth for the last outright semifinal spot.

The Aces fell to 9-8, tied with the Coca-Cola Tigers for fourth place.

But the Alaska loss handed the league-leading Air21 (11-6) the first automatic seat in the best-of-7 Final Four series.

However, the chance for Alaska, Magnolia, Coke, Talk ’N Text (8-8) and Barangay Ginebra (7-8), both of which were playing at presstime, to get a playoff depends on Red Bull, which carries a 10-6 card and is one win away from earning the last automatic semis slot.

“Everything is out of our hands,” Magnolia Beverage Masters mentor Siot Tanquingcen said. “I hope that that’s good enough to get us to the playoff for outright semifinals. But it’s out of our hands.

“With 10 wins though, I guess that got us to the quarters (outright),” added Tanquingcen.

Cortez led the Beverage Masters with 18 points, while McCaskill had a double-double of 15 and 17 rebounds. Dondon Hontiveros and Danny Seigle contributed 11 points apiece.

Jonas Villanueva’s lay-up put Magnolia up by five, 76-62, with nine minutes to play, but Alaska battled back and a foul shot by Willie Miller tied the score at 71-all with 5:11 left.

The Aces leveled the score at 79-all after Holcomb, who had 15 points, 15 rebounds, scored on a reverse lay-up with 11.8 seconds before he was called with a foul by referee Raymund Maurillo on Cortez.

The reigning league MVP, Miller had nine points after missing the Aces’ basketball game against the Realtors last Friday due to chicken pox. He was given the green-light after he got clearance by league physician Ben Salud to play.

“He was fit to play after he met with the league doctor,” PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios said.

It was determined that the 5-foot-10 guard had the viral infection a day after Alaska lost to Philippine Cup champion Sta. Lucia Realty (75-95) last June 18. He was good to go, however, despite the normal practice of two-week incubation period. (WG)


The scores:

Magnolia 80 - Cortez 18, McCaskill 15, Hontiveros 11, Seigle 11, Ildefonso 9, Tugade 8, Pingris 3, Racela 3, Villanueva 2, Pena 0.

Alaska 79 - Dela Cruz 19, Tenorio 15, Holcomb 15, Miller 9, Ferriols 7, Thoss 6, Hugnatan 4, Cariaso 4, Fonacier 0.

Quarterscores: 18-16; 35-33; 58-56; 80-79.