MANILA, 22 January 2007 – Two dream semifinal match-ups.
Red Bull and Talk ‘N Text bundled out separate walking-wounded foes last night and set up Final Four clashes with the top two seeds in the PBA Philippine Cup, with both series looking to be even in many ways and surely interesting.
The Barako jumped out of the gates hard and finished off Sta. Lucia, 105-90, while the Phone Pals scooted away in the second half for a 115-96 victory over Purefoods at the Cuneta Astrodome for 3-1 series victories.
Larry Fonacier scored 15 points and ripped off eight boards for the Barako, who will collide with San Miguel starting Wednesday before the Phone Pals slug it out with No. 1 Barangay Ginebra in the other series. “We will prepare for it (series against San Miguel) intently,” Yeng Guiao told Arab News a few minutes after the series-clinching win. “I accept that we will be the underdogs. But we like that label.”
Red Bull built a 19-point lead at the half, saw that dwindle to as little as four late in the third period before pouring on the heat yet again to win with plenty to spare.
“Our game plan was to make Purefoods give up,” coach Derrick Pumaren, in his first semifinal appearance in six years, said. “But that did not happen in the first half because Purefoods is such a tough team.
“We did not want to give that (Purefoods) team a chance because we know that they can come back,” added Pumaren, whose last Final Four stint ironically, came while he handled Purefoods in 2000. Mac Cardona scored 23 points and Asi Taulava added 20 as the Phone Pals flaunted complete control with Purefoods not able to come up with a complete roster. The Chunkee Giants, whose reign as champion ended with the loss, were without Marc Pingris and Noy Castillo, who were out because of different injuries.
Pingris, the 6-foot-4 workhorse who was the hero in the Giants’ series-opening win, watched the game in street clothes, his ankle injury so bad that he walked with a limp. Castillo, meanwhile, has been in and out of the hospital because of a viral infection.
Cardona scored 13 in the final two quarters and was chiefly responsible in giving the Phone Pals sizeable leads.
Taulava, on the other hand, played his best all-around game in the series, also winding up with seven rebounds and two blocks in an effort that was a far cry from lukewarm performances in the first three games.
Purefoods fought hard and was able to keep the Giants within striking range in the first half, but Anthony Washington joined the fray, shooting 11 points in the third quarter as the Phone Pals pulled away and were never threatened again.
Cardona scored five points in the third to back up Washington, as the Phone Pals led by as many as 16 points before Cardona scored eight points in another run for a 104-87 advantage late in the fourth.
Washington went on to finish with 18 markers, while Harvey Carey, Ren-Ren Ritualo and Victor Pablo all scored 10 or better to combine for another 38 points.
In the second game, a total of five players tossed in 11 or better for Guiao, who will continue his search towards winning an all-Filipino tournament for the first time in his successful career. Magnum Membrere scored 13 points like Enrico Villanueva and Junethy Valenzuela, while Norman Gonzales paced the Realtors with 20 points. Super rookie Kelly Williams was benched in the second half by Sta. Lucia coach Alfrancis Chua. The 6-foot-7 native of Detroit was good for only six points.
