MANILA: Play loose and have fun. That simple instruction worked for Magnolia.
The Beverage Masters fixed a low-scoring first half by coming out for the final two periods a lot relaxed as they blew Coca-Cola off the court to advance to the semifinals of the Fiesta Cup after a 78-60 victory last night at the Ynares Center .
Magnolia showed a lot of fluidity when the third quarter opened, bloating a four-point halftime lead to as many as 15 in the third to post the win pulling away and arrange a Final Four collision with elimination round topnotcher Air21.
“We were both tight,” Magnolia coach Siot Tanquingcen said shortly after the win, their fifth in six games since Amal McCaskill replaced Jameel Watkins. “I told them (during the halftime break) that we needed to play loose.”
McCaskill had a big hand in the win, shooting 18 points and grabbing 19 rebounds to offset the efforts of Jason Dixon for Coca-Cola and help close out the best-of-three series, 2-1. Dondon Hontiveros ad Lordy Tugade each tossed in 14 points, a bulk of them in a breakaway stretch that started late in the third quarter and ended with the Beverage Masters sitting on a 70-54 lead heading into the final four minutes. Magnolia established control by scoring 23 points in the third period despite committing 10 turnovers as its defense effectively botched up all of Dixon ‘s support. Small import Brandon Dean had just two points in a stint that was even more forgettable than his first two games, and after rookie Ronjay Buenafe’s 22 markers and Dixon’s 16, there wasn’t anyone who could score more than nine points for the Tigers.
Nic Belasco, the veteran big man picked up in a trade before the start of the season, had just four points, and Alex Cabagnot, who fired 18 points in a 91-90 Game 2 win, finished with just two markers. Buenafe, whose chances to win the Rookie of the Year award suffered a huge dent with the exit of the Tigers, tried very hard to extend their season, shooting four straight points to keep Coca-Cola in striking distance, 63-52, with 5:46 to play.
But the Beverage Masters answered back with a flurry as Danny Ildefonso scored on a wide open jumper. Hontiveros knocked down a triple and McCaskill put back a Tugade miss for 70-54 with just 3:57 left.
“We executed our game plan in the second half, and we played a lot looser,” McCaskill said. “That was the key.”
Meanwhile, elimination round topnotcher Air21 will be opening up its semifinal bid against Magnolia with a great handicap with import Steven Thomas to miss the first game after flying back to the United States last Saturday.
The 6-foot-9, hardworking import is trying his luck with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association and will not be back until Monday at the soonest.
Coach Bo Perasol has had the time to do some adjustments, especially on the defensive end, since Thomas gave him ample time to prepare.
But defense will not be the only problem of Perasol, as he will have to find someone who could at least come up with the 23.4 points the Express will be missing and the 16.5 rebounds that Thomas is grabbing on the average.
The only thing going for the Express is that they have been well rested for this series, having not seen action for at least two weeks, a concession they earned for qualifying to the Final Four outright like Red Bull.
Red Bull will be in the other Final Four pairing, locking horns with the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in a series that also starts tomorrow at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City .
