MANILA, 2 October 2006 — Armed with so much firepower and with its star-studded roster playing with so much desire, Barangay Ginebra was simply too hot to handle for a team as young and inexperienced as Welcoat.
The Gin Kings zoomed out front early and never looked back, manhandling the Dragons, 102-69, in the only game scheduled in the formal opening last night of the PBA Philippine Cup at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum.
Mark Caguioa scattered 23 markers and new acquisition Rudy Hatfield played as if he never left the league as they formed a two-sided battering ram that the Dragons did not even come close to stopping.
“This is not a gauge if we are a strong team or not, even if we won by a big margin,” new Ginebra coach Jong Uichico said during the customary winning coach’s interview.
“Welcoat is a new team with young players and they (Dragons) are still feeling their way around the league,” added the multititled mentor.
“We just can’t tell how we will fare for the rest of the tournament (until we play the stronger teams).”
The game was close only in the first minute, when Jojo Tangkay answered an Eric Menk fadeaway with a long jumper for 2-all.
Ginebra, touted as the team to beat after three key acquisitions in the off-season, turned up the heat after that, racing to a 17-7 lead courtesy of a Caguioa basket before the Kings ended the first half sitting on a 53-34 lead and with utmost control of the contest.
Caguioa scored 12 of his total in the first two periods, while Hatfield all but eight in the same stretch.
And not only did Hatfield, who was out of the league for more than a year because of citizenship problems, score a bundle, he was also busy on the other end of the floor to also finish with 14 rebounds, the same total of Eric Menk.
Johnny Abarrientos, who could possibly be singing the swan song of a checkered career, turned in a splendid relief job by finishing with four points and five feeds in just 19 minutes on the floor.
The 1996 Most Valuable Player, though, was in the forefront of a torrid Ginebra start in the fourth quarter, orchestrating a crippling 15-2 run that opened up a 72-59 third quarter lead to 87-61 with only 8:04 left to play.
Billy Mamaril scored six of his 11 markers to open up that tear and Menk had four straight points, Mark Macapagal a triple and Hatfield a breakaway layup off an Abarrientos feed for the telling spurt that totally took the fight out of the Dragons.
Denver Lopez, the former San Miguel guard picked up by Welcoat in the expansion draft, led the Dragons with 12 points, while Froilan Baguion, an undrafted guard two seasons ago, backed him up with 10 points in just 18 minutes.
Baguion turned out to be the brightest spot in the Welcoat rotation after also finishing with three assists and the same number of steals while missing only one field goal attempt and making all two free throws.
Coca-Cola, Purefoods and Talk ‘N Text debut on Wednesday with the Tigers slugging it out with Alaska at 4:40 p.m. and the Chunkee Giants and the souped up Phone Pals clashing in the 7:30 p.m. game also at the Araneta Coliseum. Red Bull was joined in the early lead by the Kings with the win after the Bulls annihilated Alaska, 99-93, in Guam Thursday night.
Lordy Tugade led Red Bull with 24 points and Mick Pennisi added 17 as the Bulls led by more than 20 points several times.
Alaska was paced by Willie Miller’s 23 and Mike Cortez’ 22, but the Aces were never able to display the form that gave them the preseason crown after a five-game sweep.
