Game 1 - PBA Philipine Cup Semifinals

PUREFOODS CLOBBERS BATTLE-WEARY RED BULL
Raymundo, Lanete baffle defenders, lead Giants’ brilliant semis start
Sunday, 27 January 2008

Going to their long break, the last thing coach Ryan Gregorio was worrying about was possible rustiness for his team.

"You get rusty only if you allow yourself to be. If it happens, it means you didn’t do your assignments," said Gregorio then.

Obviously, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants did theirs.
The Giants came out strong from an 11-day hiatus and walloped the Red Bull Barakos, 103-84, in the opener of their 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the Astrodome.

"I think we went up against a battle-weary Red Bull. We came out strong and did a good job staying close with their shooters," said Gregorio.

"But Game Two is gonna be different. The two-day rest will give them enough time to rest. They’re always tough to beat because they have a big fighting heart," added Gregorio. "The only advantage that I can see right now is that we only need to win three games. They need to win four."

The Giants pulled one big game together but rookie Chico Lanete got the loudest cheers as he came like a thunderbolt in the third quarter, highlighting a searing Purefoods breakaway in the third period.

Lanete scored all but two of his 18 points in the third quarter, going 4-of-5 from the three-point arc and 4-of-4 from the stripe.

Purefoods got off to a strong start but Red Bull stayed in the game until Lanete sparked the Giants’ back-breaking third-quarter assault.

"Chico is a big-time player. He knows when to light up. He’ll be a marked man next time but he will find ways to score," said Gregorio of his prized acquisition from the rookie free-agent pool.

When Lanete was done hitting his four three-pointers, the Giants found themselves way ahead at 73-55.

With Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao refusing to call a timeout, the Giants simply rode the momentum and enjoyed leads of as much as 27 points.

Lanete piled up 18 points, six rebounds and one steal in only 17 minutes of action.

Kerby Raymundo scored a game-high 24 points while Marc Pingris came through with a double-double job with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Purefoods led from start to finish but Red Bull stood within striking distance, 44-48, at halftime.

Raymundo scattered 10 points in the first quarter, providing the initial spark for Purefoods as the team took a 29-16 lead at the end of the opening canto. (NC)

The scores:

Purefoods 103 – Raymundo 24, Lanete 18, Pingris 14, Yap R. 12, Yap J. 11, Yee 8, Simon 7, Adducul 5, Evangelista 4, Sanz 0.

Red Bull 84 – Valenzuela 15, Najorda 11, Baguio 10, Bugia 8, Sharma 8, Adriano 8, Hrabak 6, Ybanez 5, Duncil 4, Robinson 3, Cruz 3, Pennisi 3.

source: pba.com.ph

James Yap, Kelly Williams share weekly PBA honors

December 31 - January 06

James Yap of Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs has continued to stand tallest among the Giants while "Machine Gun" Kelly Williams of Sta. Lucia Realty remains rock solid for the Sta. Lucia Realtors. Both shared the weekly PBA recognition for the period December 31 to January 6.

"Big Game James" scored a conference high-tying 29 points last Sunday, lifting Purefoods to a 101-87 win over Coca-Cola and into the first automatic semifinals berths with a 12-4 win-loss record.

"James hit a lot of big-time shots in the second half (20 of his 25 points). And then his timely treys (5-of-11) doused cold water on the rally aspirations of Coca-Cola ," noted Giants coach Ryan Gregorio.

That's only part of the truth, however, as Yap's first five points of the game – a twinner and triple – in the final minute of the opening quarter led a 9-0 spurt that turned out to be the telling run of the match.

Gregorio acknowledges this.

"He has bailed us out of trouble so many times in the past and he continues to amaze me with his vast repertoire of offensive brilliance," the mentor added.

Some two hours later, at the same Big Dome venue, Williams churned up - points and a career-high 18 rebounds as SLR gave Magnolia a 97-77 drubbing that kept alive the Realtors' bid of also making the semis outright.

Should the Realtors win their last eliminations game against Air21 on January 13, they will then stretch their franchise record of won eliminations games while clinching the other automatic semis slot.

Sunday's win was SLR's 11th in 17 games overall and coach Boyet Fernandez can't help but point out Williams, who shone the most when rookie Ryan Reyes left the game early in the fourth period due to a hit on the jaw.

"Kelly was a terror off the boards and he's improving everyday on his offensive moves. But one thing little noticed is his defense," said Fernandez. "Kelly is now an all-around player and I'm happy and proud of him."

The said teams' prospects are also looking positively brilliant. In the 2006 Philippine Cup, Purefoods also clinched an outright semifinal berth and the No. 1 seeding in the playoffs and went on to win the championship.

Since the format was instituted in the 2004-05 season, this is the first time SLR has earned at least an automatic quarterfinals berth. But its seven straight win has already tied the franchise record set when the Realtors won their first and only title, in the 2001 Governors Cup.

"We've achieved our original goal which was just the Magic Five. If ever we make it to the semis outright, it's just the icing on the cake," said Fernandez.

PUREFOODS POWERS PAST MAGNOLIA FOR SOLO LEAD

James Yap, rookie Lanete star as Giants remain only unbeaten team (october 26, 2007)

Purefoods Tender Juicy has beaten two giants, thus, emerging the biggest giant at least in the first two weeks of the 2007-08 PBA campaign.

James Yap and the gang came charging back from an early 17-point deficit and upended Magnolia, 93-90, to take the solo lead in the Smart Philippine Cup Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

"Our initial goal was to win two of our first three games. We over-hit the goal but we’re far from the final destination we want to be. We’ve made just little steps. We don’t want just small steps, we want big leaps," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

"If we’re to be the best, we have to be beat the best teams out there. We’ve beaten two of the preseason favorites. So we’re living up to our names as Giants after three games," added Gregorio, whose charges have pulled the rug from under top contenders Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals and the Magnolia Beverage Masters.

Purefoods remained the lone unbeaten team in the league with a 3-0 win-loss card, counting Sta. Lucia Realty among its victims.

Yap scored 13 of his 25 points in the final canto, sustaining the firepower sparked by rookie Chico Lanete in the third period as the Giants survived a 14-31 deficit early on to hand the Beverage Masters their first defeat in three starts.

The Giants were still staring at a double-digit deficit at 70-80 with seven minutes left to play when Yap fuelled a 20-5 blitzkrieg to stem the tide in their favor.

The 2006 MVP winner himself clinched the win with two free throws, making it 93-90 with 1.7 ticks left.

"It’s a good test. We passed it through perseverance," said Gregorio on their pulsating victory in the match marked by two technical fouls and the ejection of ace guard Roger Yap.

Roger Yap (no relation to James) was ejected midway through the second period as he hit LA Tenorio on the ribcage, sending the Magnolia guard on the floor writhing in pain.

It was a highly emotional match that also had Gregorio and Magnolia assistant coach Aboy Castro having an altercation on the way to the dugout at the half.

James Yap, the former MVP, also had eight rebounds and one assist on top of his game-high 25 points. Lanete added 16 points with 12 coming in the third period, his best game in his young pro career.

Lordy Tugade made 23 to pace the Beverage Masters who also drew double-digit outputs from Rico Villanueva, Danny Seigle, Danny Ildefonso and Dondon Hontiveros.

Magnolia gave up so much rebounds but shot well from the field to take the half at 17-36.

The Beverage Masters were hotter in the first period, shooting 69% from the field and jumping the gun on the Giants to enjoy a 31-14 spread going into the second quarter.

Magnolia dominated the opening half, though badly beaten, 17-36, in the battle off the boards. (NC)


The scores:

Purefoods 93 – Yap 25, Lanete 16, Simon 13, Raymundo 11, Salvador 10, Pingris 6, Adducul 5, Yap R. 4, Yee 2, Larong 1, Sanz 0, Cablay 0.

Magnolia 90 – Tugade 23, Villanueva R. 16, Seigle 12, Ildefonso 12, Hontiveros 11, Tenorio 6, Racela 6, Wilson 4, Eman 0, Fonacier 0, Calaguio 0.

Quarterscores: 14-31, 32-45, 66-69, 93-90

source: pba.com.ph