MANILA, 6 December 2007 — The ‘Mammoth Tiger’ wasn’t as explosive as he was in his first two games with Coca-Cola. Not to worry. The ‘cub’ was just as lethal.
Rookie Ronjay Buenafe posted 20 points -nine coming in the last 4:02 — and Coca-Cola finally recorded its first back-to-back wins Wednesday night, outlasting an undermanned Red Bull 98-92 in the Smart-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
“What he proved was that he can play with the same intensity and the same level as the others,” said Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis of Buenafe. “He still has a long way to go. But his work ethic and his fighting heart are unquestionable.”
The prized pick from Emilio Aguinaldo College took matters into his own hands when the game got interesting, and he delivered the knockout punch against a veteran player known for his tough defense.
Buenafe slipped his way through from the right baseline and put up a shot than went in, and drew a foul from Junthy Valenzuela. He completed his three-point play with only 1:35 remaining in the game, and gave the Tigers the breather at 95-89.
Red Bull tried to trim the gap with a three-point shot, but Valenzuela’s attempt missed.
In the return play, Buenafe again was the man who came through with the two points on a slashing move, 97-89 to seal Coca-Cola’s third win in 11 games.
While the Tigers are still in the bottom of the standings in a tie with idle Welcoat, coach Binky Favis of Coca-Cola feels that something big is just around the corner as long as they continue to play with the same fluidity they showcased this time.
“We know we have to take it chip by chip,” said Favis, “but we sense that we can achieve something as long as we work hard.”
The man responsible for Coca-Cola’s sudden turnaround didn’t have the numbers he put up in his first two outings under the red, black and white jersey. But Asi Taulava still came away with 18 points and the same number of rebounds.
“Asi’s just huge,” said Favis, his breath sounding like short after the tense game. “His energy just brought confidence to every player in the team. “
Before Wednesday night, Taulava had 26 points and a conference-high 24 rebounds in the Tigers’ 94-79 win against Sta. Lucia in Lucena City , and he likewise had a 33-point effort — his highest in three years — in his debut against Alaska .
Mark Telan, Asi’s former teammate at Talk ‘N Text, his team of eight years, also had a monster game of 21 points and 16 rebounds, and three others — Alex Cabagnot, Chester Tolomia and Kenneth Duremdes — combined for 35 points.
Red Bull dropped to 7-4 (win-loss) and saw its four-game winning streak snapped. But it was a game the Bulls had trouble winning in the first place since Cyrus Baguio and Celino Cruz did not play.
Baguio, who scored 27 points in 28 minutes in Red Bull’s last win against Air21 (108-95), missed the game after having a bout with chicken pox while Cruz, who just recovered from the same disease, got struck by measles.
As a result, Leomar Najorda was the one who led scoring for the Bulls with 20 — 13 in the first half on four triples. Valenzuela and Mick Pennisi each had 13 points and combined for 15 rebounds.
The Bulls’ setback, though, wasn’t capitalized much by Alaska . Running in a tie for third spot along with Magnolia, the Aces lost the chance to assume solo second spot, bowing to the Sta. Lucia Realtors 88-94.
Alaska dropped to a 7-5 record, with the Realtors broke out a two-game losing slide and improved to 5-6 to tie Talk ‘N text for 6th to 7th places.
Nelbert Omolon scattered 29 points — one shy of tying his career high -- on 10-of-13 shooting while Dennis Espino added 15 points as the Realtors survived a poor shooting night from Kelly Williams, who only had 11 points on a horrible 4-of-19 shooting from the field.
Willie Miller scored 15 of his 33 points in the fourth period, but the effort still fell short of carrying Alaska past the determined Realtors, who had five players contributing double figures. Alaska dropped to 7-5 for solo fourth spot. Denok Miranda also had a big game, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds and nine assists.
It was Joseph Yeo and Dennis Espino, however, who made the clutch baskets. The two hit triples in succession when the Aces came to within 77-81. When Espino drained his critical basket, Sta. Lucia was comfortably up 87-80 with only 1:09 left to play.
