MANILA, 20 July 2006 — Enrico Villanueva worked so hard last night that he put celebrations on hold. Including his honeymoon.
The bull-strong Red Bull center hit shots in the most crucial stages of Game 5 last night, leading the Barako to a 98-93 decision of Purefoods that cut the Chunkee Giants’ PBA Philippine Cup title series lead to 3-2 at the Araneta Coliseum. And curiously, the Red Bull win extended the best-of-seven series at least for another game, meaning that Villanueva, who got married last Sunday, will have to wait for a few more days to go on honeymoon.
Villanueva scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth period, six of them in the stretch as the Barako rallied from 15 points down in the third period and from four inside the final two minutes to live and fight another day.
“I’m not going to take any credit,” said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao, whose own drive to win the only title missing in his trophy case remained alive. “The win was carved out by the boys - plain and simple.
“My players simply did not want to lose and if we play the same way we did like in the second half, I still like our chances (for the rest of the series).” Larry Fonacier, named as the year’s top rookie also last Sunday, played a mammoth game subbing for the injured Lordy Tugade in the second half. The former Ateneo ace finished with 15 points, including a key three-point play that kept the Barako in the hunt.
“We just want to spoil the party in the meantime,” Guiao added. Purefoods spent the past week focusing on this game, one which the team dedicated to injured Eugene Tejada, who got the go-signal from his doctors to attend the game.
Tejada, who remains paralyzed from the waist down after taking the most horrifying fall ever in the history of the league, ironically against this same Red Bull team more than two months ago, came to the venue nine minutes into the game. It was also the third straight victory in a do-or-die game for Red Bull in this tournament, counting earlier victories over San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra, two of Purefoods’ three sister teams in the league.
And the Barako have also stayed alive in keeping a mercurial streak in best-of-seven series intact. Red Bull has not lost a best-of-seven series in four previous stints.
But if one would listen to Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio, that streak will be over by tomorrow.
“That’s what’s good with having a 3-1 lead, you lose the first chance and you still have more,” Gregorio said. “We’re going to take it on Friday. We lost this game because we relaxed.”
