It's back to square one for the Magnolia Beverage Masters - Air21 Express basketball series. Magnolia's veterans will be lead again by Danny Ildefonso and Lordy Tugade who contributed heavily in Game 4's victory as well as their import Amal McCaskill.
The winner of Game 5 will be determined by the team who has more desire to win and who can play more as a cohesive team both in defense and offense. As I see in this series, the Magnolia Beverage Masters were having a difficulty defending the Air21 Express as they are very unpredictable, meaning every player on their roster who played in the hardcourt has the capability to score at anytime both outside and inside. That makes them very difficult to stop.
Danny Seigle is still a non-factor though he scored a dunk on the first play of the ballgame. He is not as aggressive as he used to be, which very well shows he is not yet 100%.
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MAGNOLIA, AIR21 TAKE THE FLOOR IN PIVOTAL GAME 5
Coaches point to intensity and execution as key
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Certainly, Jong Uichico didn't want to play killjoy. In fact, he gammely responded to every inquiry by sportswriters following the Kings' four-gamme basketball sweep of the Red Bull Barakos in their basketball semifinal series last Sunday.
The last question though reminded him of bad memories from a distant past, so the Barangay Ginebra basketball coach politely declined to answer it.
"The last time I was asked to pick which basketball team I preferred to play I got burned. The basketball team I picked eventually eliminated us. Sorry, but I won't make any picks this time. I'm not good at basketball match-ups," offered Uichico, who also refused to identify the basketball tournament and the year it took place.
But he was kind enough to provide a hint. "It happened in the semifinals," he said, flashing a mischievous grin.
At any rate though, guessing which basketball team gets a crack at challenging Barangay Ginebra for the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference basketball championship is as tough as predicting that the Kings – proud owner of a 12-gamme winning basketball streak – would finish the basketball playoffs unscathed.
And while the Ginebra – Red Bull basketball showdown was done in four basketball gammes – leaving many league followers in disbelief – the Magnolia Beverage Masters – Air21 semifinal basketball series is looming to be a potential suspense-thriller that might require an Act 7 for an ending.
The script required alterations after the Magnolia Beverage Masters – thanks to the clutch hits by Lordy Tugade and import Amal McCaskill down the stretch – turned back the Express in Gamme 4 for a 104-102 decision to even the best-of-seven basketball series at two gammes apiece.
"Dikit lagi ang laban naming since the elimination round and I don't see it getting easier the rest of the basketball series,” said Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen moments after the crucial win.
Based on their previous battles, Tanquingcen believes the eventual challenger of the Kings for the basketball championship will be determined by passion and determination.
"The way I look at it, this basketball series now boils down to which team wants it more," said Tanquingcen, seeking a third basketball Finals appearance and second basketball championship in an import-laced basketball conference.
The intensity of the series nearly blew out of proportion in Game 4 when Air21 import Steven Thomas and Magnolia Beverage Masters center Dorian Pena traded taunts on their way to the dugout at halftime. Both were fined by PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios and warned of severe penalty if they lost their heads in the succeeding basketball gammes.
As much as both basketball teams are anticipating a deciding Game 7, it also remains a possibility that the result of Wednesday's Game 5 could be the turning point of the basketball series so the scheduled 7 o'clock duel Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum promises to be a lot more physical.
"I'm expecting the same intensity from both basketball teams. We just have to keep our focus. Whoever dictates the tempo of the basketball gamme would win it. Which means we can't play their (Express’) style of basketball," Tanquingcen said.
Bo Perasol, the low-keyed basketball coach of Air21 who is aiming to land the basketball team to its first-ever trip to the basketball Finals since joining the basketball league in 2002, is a bit more specific.
Apparently learning his lessons from Sunday's unexpected downfall, Perasol said sound decision-making and accuracy in basketball play execution would be very crucial in Game 5.
"If our last few basketball gammes would be a reflection of how the basketball series would be won, then we have to be very precise in our execution – defensively and offensively," Perasol said.
"It's down to a best-of-three basketball series so we can't afford to make costly mistakes," he added. (DBC)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Danny Ildefonso, Lordy Tugade to Lead Magnolia Veterans in Pivotal Game 5
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Danny Ildefonso, Lordy Tugade Lead Magnolia's Local Crew, Amal McCaskill Sinks Winning Basket
Magnolia Beverage Masters' veterans proved once again that they can deliver in a crucial situation like this one. Danny Ildefonso provided the needed offensive firepower all throughout the ballgame with his steady post-up moves. Lordy Tugade, on the other hand, showed his clutch shooting in the endgame with the help of Olsen Racela's well-orchestrated play.
The game-winning shot of the evening belonged to Amal McCaskill, who had been playing sub-par in almost three quarters. He started to showed aggresiveness in the fourth period with the ballgame on the line. After getting an excellent pass from point guard Olsen Racela, Amal immediately posted up Steven Thomas and let fly a turn-around shot that went inside the net.
This marked the first time that the Magnolia Beverage Masters won against the Air21 Express when Steven Thomas is around this conference. Enjoy the exciting crucial moments of the basketball game from this recorded video that I got from Youtube courtesy of captainlionheart16.
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MAGNOLIA PULLS EVEN ON McCASKILL’S HEROICS
Beverage Masters’ import finally win one over Thomas
Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Amal McCaskill finally pulled one over Steven Thomas as Magnolia drew even with Air21 after four gammes of their 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
McCaskill pumped in a turnaround jumper off Thomas himself in the closing seconds as the Magnolia Beverage Masters eked out a 104-102 win that reduced their battle to a best-of-three affair.
Magnolia Beverage Masters beat Air21 for the first time in the tourney with Thomas in harness. For McCaskill, it was his first over Thomas in four matches.
Thomas had his big baskets at endgame but McCaskill had the final laugh after making the gamme-winning basket with time down to 1.4 seconds.
With no more timeout left, the Express could no longer map out a decent play, eventually yielding the gamme with Arwind Santos making an errant throw-in.
"It was anybody's ballgame and it so happened that we made the last big shot," said Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen.
"Dikit lagi ang laban namin from the elimination round and I don't see it getting easier the rest of this series," Tanquingcen added. "Malaking bagay sa morale namin na nakatabla kami."
Gary David sizzled with 32 points but fouled out on two successive offensive infractions entering the homestretch.
Santos and Thomas picked up the cudgels on the ouster of David but the Magnolia Beverage Masters stood their ground, getting clutch shots from Lordy Tugade and McCaskill.
Thomas scored all of Air21's last five points, including a short stab off McCaskill, tying the count at 102 with 14.4 seconds to go.
McCaskill, however, saved the day and the Magnolia Beverage Masters avoided falling into a 1-3 hole in the series.
The two teams figured in another tight contest marred by a near brawl between the two teams while heading to the lockers at the halftime break.
The Magnolia Beverage Masters came back strong from the halftime huddle, engaging the Express in seven deadlocks and three lead changes after trailing by eight at the turn.
David and Nino Canaleta failed to finish the gamme both on account of fouls while Wynne Arboleda sat out the last three minutes of the contest due to leg cramps.
Though worse in overall field-goal shooting, the Express took the half at 57-49 as they hit five triples to none for the Magnolia Beverage Masters.
Gary David went 2-of-2 from beyond the arc in the first half and himself fueled the Express' decisive charge from a 26-all standoff at the start of the second period.
Air21 outscored Magnolia Beverage Masters, 12-8, on second-chance points and, 9-4, on points off turnovers in the first 24 minutes of play. (NC)
The scores:
Magnolia 104 -- McCaskill 19, Tugade 19, Ildefonso 19, Pingris 10, Pena 10, Racela 7, Seigle 7, Hontiveros 6, Calaguio 3, Villanueva 2, Cortez 2.
Air21 102 -- David 32, Thomas 20, Santos 15, Arboleda 10, De Ocampo 8, Se 6, Kramer 4, Canaleta 3, Cruz 2, Billones 2, Intal 0, Sotto 0.
Quarterscores: 26-26, 49-57, 78-80, 104-102.
Monday, July 14, 2008
LORDY TUGADE-LED MAGNOLIA BEVERAGE MASTERS PUTS COKE ON THE BRINK
It's another good basketball gamme of Magnolia Beverage Masters that I missed watching. The good thing is that the team won. I don't have much comments on this so I will just give some insights for the remaining battle(s) of the series.
It's playoffs time, probably the best time that you can see the experience of the team show up against an unexperience team like the Coca-Cola Tigers. The battle will always be defense against defense as what these two teams would normally engage on.
I expect Magnolia to go for the clincher this Wednesday as letting the Tigers recover will be a big mistake. The Tigers will make the necessary adjustments and the two imports will show more aggresiveness. Danny Seigle's injury is not that serious so I expect him to contribute to the team on Wednesday.
The team is on the right track towards getting another championship. Dispatching Coke would setup a semis duel with Air21 Express, which I think we have a good fighting chance.
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Source: Philippine Basketball Association
Sunday, 13 July 2008
TUGADE-LED MAGNOLIA PUTS COKE ON THE BRINK
'Dynamite'-less Beverage Masters a win away from 2nd straight Fiesta Final 4 stint
Magnolia Beverage Masters moved a win away from clinching a semifinal berth in the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference as it downed Coca-Cola, 108-96, in Gamme 1 of their best-of-three quarterfinal series Sunday night at the Astrodome in Pasay City.
Wingman Lordy Tugade scored 20 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds to lead the Magnolia Beverage Masters against the Tigers, who got sub-par performances from their two imports.
Magnolia Beverage Masters, which lost to eventual champion Alaska in the Final Four of last season’s Fiesta Conference, can arrange a showdown against Air21 in the best-of-seven semifinals with another win in Gamme 2 on Wednesday in Antipolo City.
“In a short series it’s good. But it does not mean anything because we need one more win. We feel good tonight but we have to go back to work tomorrow (in practice),” Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen said.
Protecting a 76-72 lead after three quarters, Magnolia Beverage Masters used a 17-6 run capped by a three-pointer by Tugade for a 93-78 advantage with 6:05 to play. Mike Cortez’ three put the Magnolia Beverage Masters ahead for good, 99-82, 4:37 left.
Tugade started the gamme at the wing spot with Danny Seigle sitting out the gamme because of a mild strain on his quadriceps. He shot 6-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-5 from the three-point area, and made 6-of-10 free throws.
Import Amal McCaskill also had a double-double performance of 20 points and 11 boards. The 7-foot McCaskill also helped in limiting Coke’s import Jason Dixon, who was held to a personal conference-low six points with seven boards. The 6-foot-10 Dixon averaged 22.6 points and 11.7 rebounds in the elimination.
“We tried our best to contain him (Dixon). It’s hard to stop him. But somehow, we played good defense on him and at the same time we caught him on a bad night,” Tanquingcen said.
The Tigers mew second reinforcement Brandon Dean, their fourth after Calvin Cage, Gee Gervin and Donald Copeland, also struggled with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.
But Tanquingcen expects the one-time Arkansas stalwart to play better in Gamme 2. “May advantage and disadvantage bringing in a new import. Nangangapa pa sa system. Pero at the same time kasi coming in to this gamme, hindi rin kilala. I think may ibibigay pa because of his quickness and toughness,” he said.
Cortez came off the bench to contribute 18 points for Magnolia Beverage Masters, while Dondon Hontiveros and Danny Ildefonso added 13 points apiece. Asi Taulava led Coke with 20 points and 12 boards, while Nic Belasco added 17. (WG)
The scores:
Magnolia 108 – McCaskill 20, Tugade 20, Cortez 18, Hontiveros 13, Ildefonso 13, Pingris 8, Bono 7, Pena 6, Racela 3, Villanueva 0, Gonzales 0.
Coca-Cola 96 – Taulava 20, Belasco 17, Buenafe 15, Cabagnot 12, Macapagal 9, Catli 9, Dean 8, Dixon 6, Dimaunahan 0, Misolas 0.
Quarterscores: 30-18; 51-41; 76-72; 108-96
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
GUNNERS LORDY TUGADE & REN-REN RITUALO THRIVE AT CRUNCH TIME: Players of the Week June 16 – 22
In recognition to his contribution in the team's recent win, Lordy Tugade has been named as co-Players of the Week for the period of June 16-22 together with Talk and Text Phone Pals long range bomber Ren-Ren Ritualo.
I guess Lordy Tugade has accepted his role in the team as a reliever to Danny Seigle. However, when called to provide the big lift, he will not hesitate to carry the team on his shoulders.
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San Miguel Beermen website. Click here.
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Source: PBA.ph
Monday, 23 June 2008
Having ace gunners come in as relievers is a luxury few teams in the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference can boast of.
And when those players come through with clutch points when needed most, then the fruits of the gambit are made much sweeter.
Such were the identical cases for Magnolia Beverage Masters and Talk N Text Phone Pals, which respectively had Lordy Tugade and Ren-Ren Ritualo churning out the much-needed baskets at the crunch and enabling them to fashion morale-boosting wins in the week that was.
Those feats also earned for the players the Smart/Accel- PBA Press Corps’ Co-Players of the Week citations for the period June 16-22.
“He came up big for us at crunch time,” said Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen of Tugade, who was very instrumental in Magnolia Beverage Masters’ 81-77 win over the Coca-Cola Tigers last Friday.
“Yung drives niya to the basket and offensive rebounds show he’s a complete package,” Tanquingcen added of the 6-foot-3 forward, who finished with a team-high 14 points, adding three rebounds and an assist in 20 minutes of off-the-bench action.
The Alaminos, Pangasinan native scored nine of his points in the fourth quarter and all but one of Magnolia Beverage Masters' last seven points, including a tip-in off a Danny Ildefonso miss that pushed them ahead to stay at 78-76.
Equally impressive was Ritualo in TNT’s 102-101 squeaker over Purefoods that snapped the Phone Pals out of a distressing five-game skid.
The Three-point King in the recent All-Star Weekend in Bacolod buried the Giants, not with a triple but with a double-pump jumper from the top of the key in the last 6.4 seconds that turned out to be the deciding basket.
“He’s been working hard on adding more to his basketball game than just the three-point shot and his work paid off,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes. “Good for us.”
In all, the 6-foot shooter scattered 16 points, one rebound, two assists and as many steals in a 23-minute relief job as the Phone Pals moved up to the .500 mark with an 8-8 win-loss record. They also solidified their bid for an outright berth in the playoffs.
Magnolia Beverage Masters, meanwhile, enhanced its bid for an outright semifinals berth as it caught up with Coca-Cola at third place with their similar 9-7 cards, lying behind Air21’s league-leading 10-6 and Red Bull’s 9-6.
Both Tanquingcen and Reyes know more tough work lies ahead.
“This is a good win for us, but we still have yet to achieve anything,” said Tanquingcen, inadvertently echoing Reyes’ sentiments.
With aces like Tugade and Ritualo up their sleeves, both coaches also know their goals are very realizable. (NCo)
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Lordy Tugade Shines Anew As Magnolia Beverage Masters Exacts Revenge Against Coca-Cola Tigers
As I predicted yesterday, the Magnolia Beverage Masters got it's a sweet revenge against the Coca-Cola Tigers. Guess how they were able to do it. The same way the Boston Celtics was able to win the 2008 NBA Championship - by playing tough defense!
The playoffs is getting near and there's no right time for the team to reach its peak but now. It's winning time folks! A few more wins and we will get a chance to grab an outright semifinals berth.
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San Miguel Beermen website. Click here.
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MAGNOLIA BEVERAGE MASTERS DOWNS COCA-COLA, MOVES INTO A TIE FOR 3RD
Tugade in big finish as McCaskill concentrates on defense
Source: PBA.ph
Friday, 20 June 2008
The Magnolia Beverage Masters have agreed on taking the homestretch of the elimination round not a basketball game, but a play at a time.
They had their reward as they gutted it out from start to finish against the Coca-Cola Tigers.
Magnolia Beverage Masters beat out Coca-Cola in a defensive battle, pulling off an 81-77 victory that enhanced its bid for an outright semifinal entry in the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference at the Cuneta Astrodome Friday night.
The Beverage Masters held the Tigers scoreless in the final 1:15 of play and went to Marc Pingris and Lordy Tugade for the insurance free throws as they caught up with Coca-Cola at third place with similar 9-7 win-loss cards.
"As I expected, defense turned out to be the key. We choked them with our defense," said Magnolia Beverage Masters coach Siot Tanquingcen.
"This is a good win for us but we still have yet to achieve anything. We’re up next against Air21 and we’re not looking beyond that basketball game. We’re taking it one play at a time. Mahirap madapa, everyone’s bunched together in the standings," Tanquingcen added.
With Amal McCaskill focusing on his defensive job against Coca-Cola counterpart Jason Dixon, the Magnolia Beverage Masters locals took charge offensively with Lordy Tugade leading the way, firing nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Tugade scored all but one of San Miguel’s last seven points, including a tip-in off a Danny Ildefonso miss that pushed Magnolia Beverage Masters ahead to stay at 78-76.
Dixon, who endured a busted nose suffered early in the third quarter, canned in a charity with 1:15 left and the Tigers went scoreless the rest of the way.
The final minute saw McCaskill block a shot by Dixon, Asi Taulava commit a passing error and Ronjay Buenafe and Alex Cabagnot miss a three-point shot each.
Tugade settled the outcome of the basketball game with two charities making it 81-77 with time down to 8.1 seconds.
The two teams put tremendous defensive pressure from the beginning, limiting each other’s shooting below 40 percent in the first half.
Magnolia Beverage Masters held Coca-Cola to eight points in the second quarter and took the turn at 32-27.
Though Dixon sat out a few minutes in the third quarter, the Tigers engaged the Beverage Masters in a nip-and-tuck battle, hitting heavily from afar.
Cesar Catli converted four of five three-point attempts with Donald Copeland, Alex Cabagnot and Nic Belasco adding a triple each in the period. (NC)
The scores:
Magnolia 81 – Tugade 14, Pena 13, McCaskill 12, Ildefonso 11, Pingris 10, Seigle 9, Racela 5, Cortez 2, Villanueva 0.
Coca-Cola 77 – Catli 17, Dixon 15, Taulava 15, Cabagnot 12, Copeland 9, Buenafe 6, Belasco 3, Calimag 0, Arigo 0, Telan 0.
Quarterscores: 17-19, 32-27, 59-58, 81-77
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Lordy Tugade Explodes, Seals Magnolia Victory
Lordy Tugade is one of the players I hate when he still used to don the Red Bull jersey.
Who wouldn't be? In games that the San Miguel Beermen were into winning a close game, Lordy Tugade would explode with a booming three coming off a greatly executed play of coach Yeng Guiao, giving a dagger to the Beermen fans who were expecting for a Beermen win.
Today, he can it do everytime he wants to as he is already part of the team. Witness how he did it all over again, this time against the Talk and Text Phone Pals.
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Source: Philippine Star
Sunday, June 1, 2008
PUERTO PRINCESA – Lordy Tugade made the winning basket on a perfectly executed inbound play by Magnolia in the closing seconds as the Magnolia Beverage Masters nipped the Talk n Text Phone Pals, 84-82, in a Smart PBA Fiesta Conference out-of-town basketball game at the Puerto Princesa Coliseum here last night.
Tugade scored off Macmac Cardona after eluding Harvey Carey with a pick from Jameel Watkins then getting the timely baseline throw-in from Olsen Racela.
Talk n Text made an attempt to salvage the basketball game but Aaron McGhee missed a desperation three-point try at the buzzer.
Magnolia, thus, again hit the .500 mark with six wins against six losses while Talk n Text remained on a skid with its third straight loss and its sixth in 13 basketball games in all.
The Magnolia Beverage Masters showed great courage and character, winning this Hanes-sponsored road showcase minus injured key players Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros. Among the VIPs in the sideline was Gov. Joel Reyes who’s pitching for the inclusion of the Puerto Princesa’s Tubataha Reef as one of the new wonders of the world.
Tugade poured in 21 of his basketball game-high 29 points in the second half and the Magnolia Beverage Masters completed a dramatic comeback from an 18-point deficit in the second period.
McGhee slammed home right in front of Watkins as the Pals erected that 18-point spread at 40-22 before settling for a 44-32 margin at the half.
McGhee and his teammates, however, floundered in the final 24 minutes of the basketball game, allowing the Magnolia Beverage Masters to duplicate their 91-86 victory in their previous tiff in this double-round eliminations.
Watkins threw his weight around in the third period as the Magnolia Beverage Masters made key runs to seize the lead at 62-61 at the end of the third period.
The former Georgetown Hoya finished with a huge double-double basketball game with 21 points and 23 rebounds to McGhee’s 10 points.
The Phone Pals waged a fight with Jimmy Alapag, Renren Ritualo, Donbel Belano and Cardona providing McGhee the needed help.
Belano fired 10 points and had a defensive gem paving the way for a McGhee basket that tied the count at 82-all with 4.8 seconds to go.
Magnolia, however, won’t be denied of the win enabling the team to catch up with Alaska Milk at sixth place.
Red Bull and Air21 seek to keep their share of second place as they take on separate opponents at the resumption of play at the Araneta Coliseum today.
The Bulls tackle the fast-charging Ginebra Kings at 4:30 p.m. while the Express meet the Sta. Lucia Realtors and their new import Jamar Brown at 6:50 p.m.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
MAGNOLIA BEVERAGE MASTERS HALT RED BULL RUN ON THE ROAD: Tugade, Racela Shine Brightest Against Barakos
Without Danny Seigle to produce the needed points, Lordy Tugade and Olsen Racela took charge to stop Red Bull's run in an out-of-town basketball game.
It was a come-from-behind win with the Barakos controlling most of the ballgame until the late charge by the Beverage Masters. One major keys in winning this ballgame was the stoppage of Red Bull's main man Cyrus Baguio.
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MAGNOLIA BEVERAGE MASTERS HALT RED BULL RUN ON THE ROAD: Tugade, Racela Shine Brightest Against Barakos
Source: PBA.ph
Saturday, 03 May 2008
LIPA CITY. – Enough of the classic Red Bull endgame comebacks and giant-killing ways.
The Magnolia Beverage Masters never let the Barakos come close to pulling off another miracle rally in the stretch of a 102-95 win on the road Saturday night.
Lordy Tugade torched his former team for 22 points while Olsen Racela turned back the hands of clock to score 19 markers – on a 7-of-10 shooting from the field – for a Magnolia Beverage Masters team that secured the victory by forcing 11 Red Bull turnovers and holding its opponent scoreless in a big game-turning third period.
Until that crucial meltdown, the Barakos were in complete control of the exciting ballgame at the La Salle Centrum here.
Even without star forward Danny Seigle for the second straight ballgame, the Magnolia Beverage Masters continued their slow push on the upper half of the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference standings, notching their fourth win in seven ballgames and somehow, easing the pain of their embarrassing 101-108 setback at the hands of the Welcoat Dragons Wednesday night.
Seigle again sat out the ballgame due to a foot injury.
The Barakos, whose last two ballgames were punctuated by thrilling comeback victories, meanwhile, fell to a share of the top spot with idle Coca-Cola, both with similar 5-2 (win-loss) cards.
Import Adam Parada led the team with 22 points and 24 rebounds but seemed too exhausted at the time the Beverage Masters were in the midst of their searing scoring run in the second half.
Red Bull thus failed in its bid to become the first team in the conference to win four in a row.
Trailing 60-68 with 5:52 to go in the third, Magnolia Beverage Masters began to make its move which Racela sparked with a booming trey that led to an 11-0 blast.
The 15-year veteran guard then capped the run with a lay-up that barely beat the buzzer, giving the Beverage Masters a 71-68 lead heading to the final 12 minutes.
Red Bull allowed the deficit to balloon to as many as 85-74, before it found its rhythm and tried to make a last ditch rally.
And they almost succeeded.
A three-pointer by Mick Pennisi had the Barakos outscoring the opposition, 15-8, in a four-minute span that cut Magnolia Beverage Masters lead to 89-93 with 1:46 left.
The Barakos were still in the ballgame, 97-92, when the scoring binge finally fizzled out, cut short by a dagger trey courtesy of Hontiveros that made it an 8-point Magnolia Beverage Masters lead.
Hontiveros also had 19 points for Magnolia Beverage Masters, while import Jameel Watkins and Mike Cortez likewise finished in double figures with 18 and 10, respectively.
Averaging 25.3 points in the Barakos’ 3-game winning run, Cyrus Baguio was held to just 17 this time. (GR)
The scores:
Magnolia Beverage Masters 102 – Tugade 22, Racela 19, Hontiveros 19, Watkins 18, Cortez 10, Pingris 6, Pena 4, Gonzales 2, Tolomia 2, Bono 0, Calaguio 0.
Red Bull Barako 95 – Parada 22, Baguio 17, Hrabak 14, Duncil 8, Cruz 8, Pennisi 6, Najorda 5, Sharma 4, Alvarez 4, Ybanez 0, Adriano 0.
Quarterscores: 28-26; 49-55; 71-68; 102-95.
Friday, April 11, 2008
YAP, PINGRIS LEAD ALL-STAR TEAMS STARTERS: Bacolod City Gets Ready For All-Star Festivities
Hometown boy James Yap's supporter definetely supported him well for the upcoming Bacolod All-Star as he leads the balloting.
The results of the voting indicates also his popularity among PBA fans who like to see their respective stars in the upcoming event. Other Magnolia Beverage Masters who are likely to play are Dondon Hontiveros and Marc Pingris.
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YAP, PINGRIS LEAD ALL-STAR TEAMS STARTERS: Bacolod City Gets Ready For All-Star Festivities
Source: PBA.ph
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Purefoods superstar James Yap underscored his soaring popularity in the just concluded balloting for starters of the North and South teams of this year's PBA All-Star Gamme.
The former MVP from Escalante, Negros Occidental received 50,763 votes – highest among candidates from both teams – and earned his fifth start in the league's annual spectacle.
Interestingly, Yap – an All-Star starter in each of the last four years dating back to his rookie year in 2004 – was the only player voted by fans, either through actual voting at the gamme venue, in the host city of Bacolod or the league's official website, http://www.pba.ph/., to breach the 50,000 mark.
Two other consistent starters – Coca-Cola big man Asi Taulava (36,312) and Talk N Text playmaker Jimmy Alapag (22,752) – join Yap in the South team that also includes Sta. Lucia's Kelly Williams (38,832) and Magnolia Beverage Masters Danny Seigle (38,448) in the frontcourt rotation.
Do-it-all Magnolia Beverage Masters forward Mark Pingris was the top vote getter among the North All-Stars with 35,578 votes.
With him in the team are Purefoods’ Kerby Raymundo (32,274), Magnolia Beverage Masters hotshot Lordy Tugade (19,374) and the Barangay Ginebra backcourt duo of Mark Caguioa (29,775) and Jayjay Helterbrand (26,244).
A starter in the All-Star Gamme for the first time in his 8-year career, Tugade earned the spot by taking over the slot of Purefoods' Romel Adducul (21,903). The former San Sebastian King Stag is out of commission after being diagnosed with the Big C.
Tugade finished fourth behind Adducul in the balloting.
The remaining slots in both teams will be filled by the votes of all 10 PBA coaches prior to the All-Star Weekend in Bacolod City from April 24-27.
Helterbrand and Alaska's Willie Miller sparked a big endgame comeback by the North All-Stars in Baguio City last year to prevail, 145-142. The two emerged co-MVPs of the annual spectacle.
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia and West Negros University president Suzette Agustin are working hand in hand to make the 2008 Smart PBA All-Star Weekend in the ”City of Smiles” a smashing success. (DBC)
