MANILA, 2 December 2006 — Fittingly enough, Ryan Gregorio called it a breakthrough.
Winning for the first time in its last three games, defending champion Purefoods last night kept an outright semifinal seat in the PBA Philippine Cup realistic enough, never mind if the Chunkee Giants had to scrape through such a lowly team like Welcoat.
“This is a big win for us, because it put us 1-12 games out of the lead at the moment,” Gregorio said, minutes after his Giants pounded out a 76-74 decision of the hard-fighting Dragons at the Araneta Coliseum.
With James Yap and Kerby Raymundo effectively shut down, Purefoods got the goods from old-timers Noy Castillo and Jun Limpot in improving to 8-6, while pushing the Dragons’ collective backs hard against the wall.
“At least we have proven that we still have other players who are good offensive options,” Gregorio added. “The game was close, yes, and we expected it because Welcoat was going to fight hard because they are fighting for survival.” Raymundo was held down to just nine points and the reigning MVP Yap eight, but only one out of 11 players Gregorio utilized contributed offensively, which spelled the difference though it was not very pretty.
So off were Raymundo and Yap that Castillo’s 11 markers and Limpot’s 10 were enough to be the best for the Giants.
As it is, Barangay Ginebra and Sta. Lucia remained tied for the lead with 9-4 cards, while Red Bull, which walloped Talk ‘N Text, 104-76, in an out-of-town sortie in Tacloban on Thursday, was in third with a 9-5 slate.
San Miguel is the only other team ahead of the Giants at the moment, the Beermen toting an 8-5 card.
Meanwhile, Air21’s sights are definitely trained at the future, but the Express know that they have to take care of the business at hand first and foremost.
The Express wore down the Coca-Cola Tigers in the second half for a 101-95 win earlier, staying alive for even a shot at an outright semifinal berth though things could not be entirely in their hands.
Yancy de Ocampo, Wynne Arboleda and Arwind Santos took turns in hurting the Tigers in a searing third quarter splurge that had the Express turning a 40-48 halftime deficit into a 76-70 lead entering the final quarter.
The Tigers were still ahead 55-47, before the Express dropped a telling 16-0 bomb capped by a cold-blooded Arboleda triple from the right flank that ultimately gave Air21 its sixth win in 13 games.
Coke, which not only lost for the seventh straight time, saw its chances of advancing past the eliminations diminish, the Tigers’ head-to-head duel with newcomer Welcoat for the last wildcard phase spot getting interesting by the day.
The Tigers’ efforts fell short after prized center Ali Peek suffered cramps on his left leg and had to be taken out midway in the third. He came back in the fourth period but was clearly not his usual forceful self. Coke now has a 3-11 record, the same slate held by the Dragons.
“We still have a chance of entering the quarterfinals outright,” said Air21’s Bo Perasol. “We knew Coke would desperate, but we also knew that reaching our goal would be easier with a win tonight.
“What was really important for us in this game is to bring our playoff game into this game,” he added. “Wherever we end up, whether it be the playoffs or the quarterfinals, as long as we bring our playoff game, good things are bound to happen.” Foremost among the Air21 players who brought their A-game were Santos, who had his sixth double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Arboleda, who gave himself a 30th birthday gift three days late with 18 points, four assists and as many steals.
Gary David kept Air21 within striking distance in the early goings and wound up with 15 points, six rebounds and four feeds while Yancy de Ocampo scattered 11 of his 14 points and snatched three of his seven rebounds in the third period.
Peek still wound up with a game-high 24 points and five rebounds and John Arigo capped his 19-point performance with a triple that brought Coca-Cola within 87-90, still 3:08 to go.
But Ranidel de Ocampo’s short stab, Santos’ drive and Arboleda’s triple made it a 97-89 count that proved safe enough going into the final 1:59 of the game.
