Friday, April 29, 2011

ILOCOS CS TIGERS, CEBU NINOS SECURE FINALS BERTHS

Games on April 30 – Santo Domingo People’s Center
4:00 PM Laguna Golden Lions vs. MP Warriors of GenSan (for Third Place)
6:00 PM Ilocos Sur CS Tigers vs. M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos (Championship)


ILOCOS CS TIGERS, CEBU NINOS SECURE FINALS BERTHS

     SANTO DOMINGO, Ilocos Sur – Host Ilocos Sur CS Tigers and defending champion M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos trounced separate opponents Thursday night (April 28) to arrange a winner-take-all showdown Saturday for the championship of the SMC Liga Pilipinas Conference V Ilocos Sur Leg at the Santo Domingo People’s Center.

     Pint-sized guard Warren Ybanez was the biggest man of the night as he scored 10 of his team-high 19 points in the crucial fourth period rally that lifted the CS Tigers of Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singsonand Coach Johnedel Cardel past the Laguna Golden Lions of Gov. ER Ejercito and Coach Nomar Isla, 82-78.

     Ybanez combined with Ramsey Williams to slowly eat away at the Lions’ advantage, capped by a Jemal Vizcarra basket that gave them the lead for the first time in the second half, 75-73.  Bryan Faundo quickly equalized but Chito Jaime pushed the hosts ahead for good, 77-75, and 1:18 to play.

     Ybanez then proved steady from the free throw line as he made four of his six attempts in the final minute to maintain their lead.  The Lions had one last chance to tie the score but Ricky Ricafuente fired a hurried triple with eight ticks remaining and the Tigers on top, 81-78.  Vizcarra added another free throw for the final tally.

     Williams followed up his superb play yesterday with 15 points and eight assists.  Ybanez added 10 rebounds on top of his 19 points.  Glenn Bolocon led the Lions with 20 points and nine rebounds. Faundo followed with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

     In the curtain-raiser, the Ninos of Michel Lhuillier and Coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba played cautiously for three periods before pouring it all out in the final minutes to whip the MP Warriors of GenSan of Rep. Manny Pacquiao and Coach Arvin Bonleon, 98-75.

     On top by nine entering the final period, 69-60, the Ninos turned to rookie Ferdinand Lusdoc of Bohol Institute of Technology who banged in six points to power a 17-5 run that immediately settled the outcome, 86-65.  So relentless were the Ninos that they further stretched their lead to as high as 25 points, 96-71.

     Jayford Rodriguez converted all of his team-best 24 points in the first three periods, on top of 10 rebounds to earn Best Player honors.  Abby Santos also dominated the inside with 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Christopher Concepcion and Alfie Grijaldo paced the Warriors with 12 points each.

     The still winless Warriors and Lions will dispute Third Place.  Friday night’s games thus became previews of Saturday’s fixtures with the teams aiming for valuable points in the SMC Liga standings.

How They Scored:

First Game

     M. LHUILLIER-CEBU (98) – Rodriguez 24, Santos 19, Lusdoc 12, Nailon 10, Abadia 9, Saladaga 9, Baguion 5, Belano 5, Padilla 3, Cruz 2, Ababon 0, Raymundo 0.

     GEN. SANTOS (75) – Grijaldo 12, Concepcion 12, Nicdao 11, Parreno 11, Angeles 10, Cordero 6, Medalla 5, Mendoza 4, Bucao 2, Alih 2, Sagad 0, Callo 0.

     Period Scores: 22-22, 42-39, 69-60, 98-75.

Second Game

     ILOCOS SUR (82) – Ybanez 19, Williams 15, Vizcarra 13, Jaime 12, E. Sta. Maria 9, de Castro 6, Cacha 4, Agacer 4, Gonzales 0, Junio 0, Santos 0.

     LAGUNA (78) – Bolocon 20, Faundo 15, Ricafuente 13, Bautista 8, Fampulme 8, Mercado 4, Sanz 4, Feihl 4, Saguindel 2, Glorioso 0, Ejercito 0.

     Period Scores: 18-18, 30-44, 55-61, 82-78.PR

Thursday, April 28, 2011

NLEX trounces cold-shooting Blackwater Elite

PBA D-League Foundation Cup
Team Standings

               Group A

                                           W     L
NLEX                                   3     1
Black Water                          3      1
PC Gilmore                           3     2
Pharex                                   2      2
Freego Jeans                          1      3
RnW Pacific Pipes                1      4

              Group B
                                            W     L
Cobra Energy Drink              3      1
Cebuana Lhuillier                 3     1
Max! Bond Super Glue         2     1
FCA                                      2       1
Maynilad                               3      3
Junior Powerade                    1      3
Café France                           0      4

Games Tuesday
 (Arellano U gym, Legarda)
2 p.m. – RnW Pacific Pipes vs Pharex
4 p.m. – Junior Powerade vs Max! Bond Super Glue





North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) got its game going early on the way to a
81-62 victory against the cold-shooting Blackwater Elite Thursday in
the PBA D-League Foudation Cup Classification round at the Arellano U
gym in Legarda, Manila.

The game that promises to be an interesting match-up, turned out to be
a mismatch.

The Road Warriors separated from the Elite after just 20 minutes
behind an excellent ball movement and aggressive defense that
frustrated Blackwater’s go to guys.

“The past games we started slow. But today we had a good start and we
played good defense. Obviously D was the key. To limit Blackwater to
62 points only showed how much effort the players put on defense,”
said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.

Eric Salamat scored 19 points and Calvin Abueva added 12 and 11
rebounds for the Road Warriors, who assumed the solo lead in Group A
with a 4-1 record and bolster their hopes of making it outright to the
quarterfinals.

NLEX shot just 44 percent (16 of 36) in the first half but held the
Elite to 9 of 33 shooting with their pressure defense that help them
built a commanding 44-27 lead  at halftime.
It was a walk in the park from their from there for the Road Warriors
as the Elite couldn’t put a run that could change the outcome of the
game.

Andrian Celeda led Black Water with 14 points. Gio Ciriacruz was the
only other elite in double figure with 11. Blackwater, which shot just
35 percent (23 of 66) for the game, had its three-game winning streak
snapped, fell to 3-2.

Earlier, Paul Sanga found his shooting touch in the fourth quarter and
the Cobra Energy Drink Ironmen, who played catch up for most of the
game, kept Café France winless in four games with a 74-67 victory in
Group B.

The Ironmen, who rebounded from a stunning 75-77 loss against Max!
Bond Super Glue last April 14, outscored the Scorpions, 27-13, in the
fourth quarter to clinch their third win in four games and tied
Cebuana Lhuillier for first place in Group B.

“We struggled with our offense in the first half. But the guys didn’t
give. They battled even when things didn’t look good,” said Cobra
Energy Drink coach Lawrence Chongson.

“Café France played a good game and we needed some luck down the
stretch to pull this off.”

Sanga scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and led Cobra Energy
Drink with 17 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He had only six points
through three quarters, but the 6-foot-4 forward made 4 of 7 attempts
in the fourth to spark Cobra’s fiery charge.

The Ironmen trailed by seven entering the fourth, but opened the
period with a 14-4 run. Sanga ended that run with eight straight
points including two 3-pointers as Cobra Energy Drink led for the
first time, 61-58, with 7:38 to go.

A 3-pointer by Grevanni Rublico put Café France back in front, 65-64,
but John Foronda made two free throws in the ensuing play and Paul Lee
(14 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) added two more to put the Ironmen
ahead to stay.

It was another frustrating loss for the Scorpions. They led by as many
as 13 in the first half and by 12 in third quarter but couldn’t finish
the game, going 1 for 9 in the final 3:23.

Rublico led all scorers with 20 points, including 6 for 12 from the
3-point range. But managed just six points in the second half with
Sanga holding him to just 1 of 4 shooting in the fourth.

Café France’s center Jewel Ponferada had thee blocks and he and Ramon
Magbayo combined for 21 rebounds although the Ironmen still won the
battle of the boards, 47-45.

The scores:
First Game

Cobra Energy Drink 74 – Sanga 17, Lee 14, Acibar 12, Baloran 10,
Foronda 8, Hermosisima 7, Reyes 5, Eguilos 1, Mendoza 0, Raypon 0,
Rosopa 0, Bandaying 0.

Café France 67 – Rublico 20, Mabayo 12, Bulangis 11, Ponferada 6,
Almario 5, Gallardo 4, Babad 2, Chua 2, Lobato 2, Magbitang 2, Banyas
1, Garcia 0.

Quarters: 15-23; 30-35; 47-54; 74-67

Second Game
NLEX 81 -- Salamat 19, Menor 17, Hodge 13, Abueva 12, Ellis 6, Tesoro
4, Pascual 3, Raymundo 2, Suguitan 2, Co 2, Sanggalang 1, Belencion 0,
Reyes 0, Dehesa 0.

Blackwater 62 – Celeda 14, Ciriacruz 11, Saret 8, Mazo 6, Acidre 6,
Zulueta 4, Belorio 3, Lapuz 3, Ablaza 3,  Caperal 2, Del Rosario 2,
Limpat 0, Del Rosario 0.

Quarters: 21-9, 44-27; 65-48; 81-62.PR

ILOCOS SUR TOPS GENSAN IN LIGA PILIPINAS OPENING

SANTO DOMINGO, Ilocos Sur – The Ilocos Sur CS Tigers celebrated their return to regional basketball by clipping the visiting MP Warriors of GenSan, 84-76, in opening day action from the SMC Liga Pilipinas Conference V at the Santo Domingo People’s Center.

The hosts CS Tigers of Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson drew big plays from their second unit to give Coach Johnedel Cardel a win in his very first game at the helm.  Jemal Vizcarra pumped in 14 points off the bench but it was the all-around play of Ramsey Williams that cemented the Tigers’ victory.

Williams, whose mother hails from Ilocos Sur, scattered 13 points on top of five rebounds, six assists and two steals to frustrate the Warriors of Rep. Manny Pacquiao and Coach Arvin Bonleon,  who also made his coaching debut after taking over from Choy del Rosario who died earlier this year due to leukemia.

Despite a big size disadvantage, the Warriors hung tough and even outrebounded the bigger Tigers, 48-43.  The Warriors also used their speed to have more fast break points, 12-4.  In the end, their substitutes failed to sustain the momentum as the Tigers had more bench points, 43-25.

Alfie Grijaldo paced the Warriors with 17 points and six rebounds followed by Louie Medalla with 13 points and five rebounds.  Christian Nicdao typified the Warriors control of the boards with a dozen rebounds on top of his eight markers.

In the opening game, defending champion M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos began its title retention bid on the right note by holding off the dangerous Laguna Golden Lions, 78-74.

Starting sluggishly, the Ninos of Michel Lhuillier and Coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba conceded the opening period, 15-19.  They then settled down to grab the halftime lead, 39-33.

It was an all-M. Lhuillier show from there as they stretched their lead to as high as 21 points behind a full-team effort.  With the outcome decided, the Golden Lions of Gov. ER Ejercito and Coach Nomar Isla slowly whittled the final deficit.

Big Frank Nailon powered the Ninos with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  Jayford Rodriguez, returning to the team after more than a year’s absence due to injuries, backed up Nailon with 10 more points. Ricky Ricafuente led Laguna with a game-best 23 points followed by Glenn Bolocon with 14.


How They Scored:

First Game

M. LHUILLIER-CEBU (78) – Nailon 11, Rodriguez 10, Raymundo 9, Saladaga 8, Santos 7, Dacia 7, Belano 7, Padilla 6, Ababon 5, Baguion 4, Abadia 2, Cruz 2.

LAGUNA (74) – Ricafuente 23, Bolocon 14, Bautista 9, Sanz 8, Fampulme 4, Ejercito 4, Athie 4, Mercado 2, Glorioso 2, Aldave 2, Feihl 2, Faundo 0, Saguindel 0, Legaspi 0.

Period Scores: 15-19, 39-33, 61-46, 78-74.


Second Game

ILOCOS SUR (84) – Vizcarra 14, Jaime 14, Williams 13, de Castro 10, Ybanez 7, Junio 7, Santos 4, Gonzales 3, A. Sta. Maria 2, E. Sta. Maria 2, Cacha 0, Agacer 0, Gali 0, Graebel 0.

GEN. SANTOS (76) – Grijaldo 17, Medalla 13, Nicdao 8, Sagad 7, Mendoza 7, Concepcion 6, Angeles 6, Alih 5, Parreno 4, Callo 2, Cordero 1, Bucao 0, Timon 0.

Period Scores: 22-18, 44-37, 60-56, 84-76.PR

Tribute to Commissioner Chito Salud

Wife of late Commissioner Rudy Salud Ms. Josephine Salud with his son and present PBA Commissioner Atty. Chito Salud.NUKI SABIO
PBA Chairman Rene Pardo signals the final buzzer for late Commissioner Rudy Salud.NUKI SABIO
Daughter in law of late Comm Rudy Salud Ginge Salud with the thank you speech.NUKI SABIO
Family of Comm Rudy Salud with Chairman Rene Pardo and Vice Chairman Attty. Mamerto Mondragon and Comm. Atty. Chito Salud.[NUKI SABIO]






Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Player of the Week: Jimmy Alapag

TALK N Text coach Chot Reyes wants his team to be known as an unselfish lot, one
that prides itself on teamwork.
Even among so many clusters of stars, however, one is bound to shine the most
and Jimmy Alapag just did.
 The man nicknamed “Mighty Mouse” helped make sure the Tropang Texters’ path to
the PBA Commissioner’s Cup would be clear by coming up big in the game that
mattered most, earning for himself the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week
honors for the period April 18 to 24.
The citation is the first for any TNT player for the conference and slightly
goes against Reyes’ grain.
“Sayang! We wanted to go through an entire tournament where none of our players
gets POTW honors as a sign of our teammanship,” Reyes half-jokingly reasoned.
Turning more serious, Reyes added: “I hope it’s a sign that Jimmy’s game is
peaking for the Finals.”
It does seem like it after the heady playmaker scored 27 points and dished off
four assists in TNT’s 118-104 victory over Air21 last Wednesday, capping the
Manny V. Pangilinan-owned franchise’s three-game sweep of the Express in their
best-of-five semifinals duel.
It also spiked Alapag’s notable all-around performance in the duel, which saw
him finish with averages of 15.6 points, 5.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3
steals.
With TNT going up against Barangay Ginebra in the race-to-four championship
series, the likes of Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes, Ranidel de Ocampo and Harvey
Carey are also expected to chiefly provide import Paul Harris with support.
It is also most certain Alapag will be pointing the Texters in the right
direction.PR





Tuesday, April 26, 2011

PC Gilmore plasters RnW Pacific Pipes, 75-59

PBA D-League Foundation Cup
Team Standings

               Group A

                                           W     L
NLEX                                   3     1
Black Water                          3      1
PC Gilmore                           3     2
Pharex                                   2      2
Freego Jeans                          1      3
RnW Pacific Pipes                1      4

              Group B
                                            W     L
Cebuana Lhuillier                 3     1
Max! Bond Super Glue         2     1
Cobra Energy Drink              2      1
FCA                                      2       1
Maynilad                               3      3
Junior Powerade                    1      3
Café France                           0      3

Games Thursday
 (Arellano U gym, Legarda)
2 p.m. – Cobra Energy Drink vs Café France
4 p.m. – NLEX  vs Blackwater Perfume


After a woeful shooting in the first half, PC Gilmore exploded for
10 3-point shots in the second half and plastered RnW Pacific Pipes,
75-59, Tuesday in the classification round of the PBA D-League
Foundation Cup at the Letran gym.

The Wizards made just 32 percent of their shots (12 of 38) in the
first half but seized control late in the third quarter as Pacific
Pipes continue to struggle with its offense.

Eric Agas showed the way for PC Gilmore with 15 points. Jett Vidal had
13. Allan Mangahas added 11, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Jam Cortes cornered 13 rebounds as PC Gilmore outrebounded Pacific Pipes, 52-45.

“Our shooting in the first half didn’t click. We’re missing easy
lay-ups and free throws. We we’re tight. Siguro dahil sa haba ng
break. But I told the guys if we can’s score we must at least get
stops. Good thing we made our shots we when we needed,” said PC
Gilmore coach Richard del Rosario.

In Group B play, Cebuana Lhuillier weathered a fiery charge by
Maynilad down the stretch and got away with a 91-89 victory.

Obviously, the Gems learned from their stunning 73-77 loss against
Junior Powerade. They played with a high level of urgency and energy
against Maynilad and didn’t back down when the Water Dragons became
physical.

Emotions ran high in the second half with Maynilad coach Frankie Lim
getting tossed from the game with 7:14 remaining for continuous
complaining.

“We played with a great team effort,” said Cebuana Lhuillier coach
Luigi Trillo, who reserved his praise for guard Kevin Alas.

“He is a Letran Knight but he played with a heart of a Lion,” Trillo said.

Allein Maliksi led all scorers with 28 points. Alas had 27, including
his teams last six points in the final 45 seconds to secure the win.

Cebuana Lhuillier improved to 3-1 while Maynilad closed out its
classification round assignment with a 3-3 mark.

The Gems shot 54 percent in the first half to built a 52-36 advantage
that held on till the end.

Garbo Lanete’s basket with 53 seconds left pushed Maynilad to within
82-85 to make the game exciting but the Water Dragons ran out of time.

The Wizards made 19 of 40 attempts in the second half and 10 of 20
3-point tries. In contrast, Pacific Pipes shot just 13 of 29 and was 1
of 4 from 3-point range.

The Wizards, who bounced back from an 87-88 loss against NLEX two
weeks ago, improved to 3-2 (win-loss) record in Group A to remain in
the hunt for an outright spot in the second round of the playoffs.
Pacific Pipes picked up its fourth loss in a row and fell to 1-4.

“Our game against Blackwater is crucial,” Del Rosario said. The
Wizards and the Elite wind up their classification round campaign on
May 5.

Anthony del Rio’s two free throws put Pacific Pipes ahead for the last
time at 44-43, before PC Gilmore closed out the third quarter with 7-1
run. Luis Sinco ended the spurt with a 3-pointer to give the Wizards a
50-45 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Wizards extended the lead to 13 by scoring the first eight points
of the fourth.

The Wizards highlighted their second half shooting spree by knocking
their last five baskets from the behind the arc.

Vic Manuel led Pacific Pipes with 20 points but didn’t get enough
support from his teammates. Jim Viray was the only other players in
double figure with 13.

The Scores:
First Game

PC Gilmore 75- Agas 15, Vidal 13, Acosta 12, Mangahas 11, Sinco 5,
Lastimosa 4, Magbanua 4, Cortes 4, Almazan 2, Sorongan 2, Parala 2,
Sarangay 1, Dysam 0, McCoy 0.

RnW Pacific Pipes 59 – Manuel 20, Viray 13, Del Rio 8, Ilagan 5,
Cornejo 4, Musni 3, Leynes 2, Delgado 2, Sabelina 2, Importante 0,
Tirona 0, Lansang 0.

Quarters: 11-10; 26-25; 50-45; 75-59

Second Game

Cebuana Lhuillier 93 – Maliksi 28, Alas 27, Mandani 16, Cena 6, Llagas
6, Nabong 5, Hayes 2, Elimon 2, Bagatsing 1, Semira 0.

Maynilad 85 – Lanete 25, Marcelo 12, Pascual J. 12, Hermida 10, Dela
Rosa 9, Semerad A. 6, Lim 3, Semerad 2, Pascual K. 2, Caram 2,
Diputado 2.

Quarters: 28-16; 52-36; 72-61; 93-85.PR