ANTIPOLO, 7 April 2008 — Souped-up even more, Magnolia still can’t get things right after two outings in the Fiesta Cup.
Danny Seigle muffed a critical free throw with the clock winding down last night and Sta. Lucia pounced on the opportunity to pound out an 88-86 decision of the Beverage Masters that meant a share of the early lead in the import-spiced, season-ending tournament.
It was the second straight loss for the Beverage Masters, a rock-solid side that was made even more formidable after entering in two blockbuster deals before the opening two weeks ago. And like in the Philippine Cup early last year, this team has found itself occupying a very awkward place in the standings — in the cellar.
The powerhouse Magnolia roster actually aided its downfall after making just 16 of 38 free throws, including six of their last eight charities that came after the score had been tied at 75.
Kelly Williams, the 2007 Rookie of the Year and Philippine Cup Best Player, scored 27 points and had 10 rebounds to pace the Realtors, who got 20 and nine from import Wesley Wilson.
While the Realtors had to practically bleed to remain unscathed, Alaska notched a first win in a relatively easy manner after disposing of luckless Barangay Ginebra, 102-89, that also kept the Gin Kings winless in two games.
Randy Holcomb, given a vote of confidence by coach Tim Cone a few days before the game, scored 21 of his 27 points in the first half to jumpstart the Alaska offense before the local crew performed mop-up operations in the final two quarters. The former Fresno State mainstay also had nine rebounds and five assists in a brilliant all-around game that extended his stay in the country and, more importantly, erased the stigma of a luckluster debut. Alaska, the defending champion, improved to 1-1 with the win, while the Kings dropped to 0-2, in the company of their sister side Magnolia and Welcoat.
On Saturday, the Coca-Cola Tigers actually joined Red Bull for the early lead at 2-0, after import Jason Dixon scored on a putback in the final 1.6 seconds that keyed a 109-108 decision of Purefoods at the Olivarez gym in Paranaque . Limited to just one import in Dixon with small reinforcement Calvin Cage out for at least a month because of a broken foot, the Tigers fought the Tender Juicy Giants tooth and nail and got rewarded with a win. Dixon finished with 37 points, matching the output of the prolific Darius Rice, who almost single-handedly rewarded the Giants a second straight win after dropping two triples for a 108-107 lead heading into the final 14.1 seconds. But Dixon grabbed an offensive board off an Alex Cabagnot miss, nailed the follow-up and drawing a foul to boot from Rice. Dixon then intentionally missed the bonus free throw to not give the Giants a chance to tie.
After outsteadying Magnolia, 127-126 in double overtime last week when Rice hit 56 markers, the Giants went down to 1-1 with the loss, tied with the Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals, the Aces and Air21.
