ANTIPOLO, 28 January 2006 — Ren-Ren Ritualo sure knows how to make amends.
Two nights after his crucial blunder cost Air21 a win, Ritualo came out for a career game and scorched Purefoods in a 101-87 win that put the Express within a victory of the Chunkee Giants in their PBA Fiesta Conference semifinal. The sharp-shooting Ritualo got a lot of prodding from coach Bo Perasol and hit 9-of-18 triple attempts on the way to a 40-point game as Air21 got back into the best-of-seven series by creeping to within 1-2 at the Ynares Center here.
The Express seemed to have Game 2 in the bag Wednesday night when Ritualo coughed the ball up at the most unusual time, resulting in a dramatic win for the Giants and a 0-2 hole for Air21.
Ritualo made five of those treys in an eight-minute stretch that bridged the second and third periods to highlight a torrid shooting night no one from Purefoods was able to cool off.
The former La Salle ace even finished two fast-break plays with three-pointers to make up eight straight points that opened up an 84-56 lead for the Express with still 2:43 left in the third period.
Shawn Daniels finished with 16 points and was one of three other Express in double digits, while Marquin Chandler was good for a silent 23 points for Purefoods.
Red Bull later made it two-in-a-row over Barangay Ginebra, but not after nearly blowing a 30-point third quarter lead for a 2-1 bubble over the Gin Kings in their own Final Four series.
The Barako, 88-87 Game 2 winners on Wednesday, opened up with seven straight points, built a 66-36 lead, and then held on in the stretch when the Kings doggedly tried to turn things around for a 93-85 victory.
Larry Fonacier got the call to start for Yeng Guiao and the former Ateneo hotshot responded with a career game of his own, shooting 22 points on an 8-of-10 clip from the field aside from contributing seven rebounds.
Red Bull closed out the half sitting on a 54-32 lead as Fonacier and Cyrus Baguio, another surprise starter, scored 13 points each and Enrico Villanueva scattering 12.
It looked like easy sailing for the Barako from there with the Kings answering the third quarter buzzer throwing nothing but bricks to fall behind by 30 with still a good five minutes left in the period. But Chris Porter and Rommel Adducul took the fight to themselves when all the others from the Ginebra lineup could not get going, succeeding in making a game out of it but eventually falling short.
Adducul hit a short stab and was fouled by Mick Pennisi with 1:18 left to put the Kings within 79-84. He had a chance to chop down the lead further with a bonus free throw.
But the 6-foot-6 center could not convert and James Penny, quiet in the first half after letting the locals do all the scoring, hit a right corner jumper with 56 seconds left to give the Barako breathing room.
Ginebra’s locals played so bad that Mark Caguioa fouled out like Jayjay Helterbrand.
Caguioa only made one field goal in 15 attempts, a follow-up of a Porter miss with four minutes left that put the Kings within 75-81.
