MANILA: Ask any coach, and they will say that the sign of a great team is how it comes back from a loss.
San Miguel showed that trait last night when it swamped Alaska , 91-84, to bounce back from its only setback and practically put a lock on the first outright Final Four seat in the PBA Fiesta Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
But coach Siot Tanquingcen explained it in a different way, and it was sort of scary for the rest of the teams in the field.
“We have seen how things would turn out if we become complacent (like in our last game against Rain or Shine),” the young mentor said. “Tonight, we were on our toes and we were focused throughout.”
The Beermen were in their elements all night, with import Gabe Freeman leading the way and Jay Washington unstoppable from inside and out.
San Miguel thus rose to 9-1, still its finest start in years, never mind if the Elasto Painters denied the Beermen the chance to equal a 10-0 start 20 years ago after an upset win on the road last week.
Washington scored 12 of his team-high 21 points in the third quarter, and Freeman hit 13 of his 18 markers in the final two frames as the Beermen dealt the Aces their eighth loss in 12 games.
San Miguel led by as many as 70-52 in the third quarter after Freeman caught a Dondn Hontiveros pass in midair to complete an alley-oop jam that finished off a fastbreak and got the crowd excited.
The Beermen’s victory also put some distance between them and second-running Purefoods, which scored a 96-92 win over a hard-fighting Barako Bull crew on Thursday night at the Olivares gym in Paranaque .
Purefoods improved to 7-5 with its fourth straight triumph, while the Energy Boosters have been doomed to finish last for the second straight tournament even as defending champion Barangay Ginebra outsteadied Sta. Lucia in last night’s second game.
The Gin Kings won for the fifth straight night and rose to 6-5, well within outright playoff contention and still within range of making the semifinals outright after a 101-98 squeaker over the Realtors.
Import David Noel hit some pretty clutch shots in the fourth and finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and five steals as the Kings watched Sta. Lucia’s Anthony Johnson miss three straight triples in the final 11.9 seconds to escape with the win.
The Realtors dropped a third consecutive outing and are now at a level 6-6 card from entering the All-Star break with a 6-3 record in second place.
Kelly Williams, the reigning MVP, contacted a mysterious virus while in Bacolod and has been down since, while Nelbert Omolon, another reliable swingman, has been out because of the chicken pox. Jay-Jay Helterbrand added 19 points and fellow point guard Chico Lanete tossed in 15 off the bench. Coach Jong Uichico also got a brilliant game from JC Intal, the former Air21 forward who hit 10 and was one of three more Ginebra players in twin digits.
“Certainly, the chance is still there, though it remains a long shot,” Uichico told reporters later, referring to an automatic semifinal berth which could happen if they continue winning and some of the other teams on top lose most of their remaining assignments. “But like the Ginebra of old, we will keep on fighting.”
Ryan Reyes drilled a triple with under 30 seconds left to shove the Realtors within 99-98, before the Realtors sent Helterbrand to the stripe with a duty Denok Miranda foul in order to gain back possession.
The veteran Helterbrand calmly sank both free throws and the Kings played some tenacious defense on the other end to frustrate Johnson, who remained lying flat on his back at midcourt after missing the third attempt which could have forged extension.
