MANILA: If getting thrown out would yield a result like this, then by all means, Yeng Guiao would have no problems with it.
Burger King responded to Guiao’s ejection because of technicals last night, breaking away from Alaska in the fourth quarter for a 106-88 victory as the Whoppers won a second straight game in the PBA Fiesta Cup eliminations at the Cuneta Astrodome.
“It looks like I can afford getting thrown out with this team,” the firebrand drillmaster told reporters in jest. “This is a new team for me. This is the first time that they were tested this way with me getting ejected and the team facing adversity.
“They responded very well, and to me, that is a very good sign.”
Guiao was tossed out with just over eight minutes left for continuously arguing a foul called on rookie Erick Rodriguez on Alaska’s Rosell Ellis.
And moments after he was whisked off the floor by venue personnel, his Whoppers broke away from a 78-74 game with a barrage of three-pointers led by Arwind Santos, who went on to drop 31 points to lead all Burger King shooters.
Santos, the reedy 6-foot-6 member of the National team, hit two triples and Gary David and Egay Billones had one each as the Whoppers broke the game wide open and rose to 6-5 to keep their mathematical chance of an outright semifinal berth alive.
“I’ve been telling the guys to believe that we can still make it (Final Four outright). If we keep on winning, we have an outside chance of getting outright semis entry or at least a twice-to-beat edge in the first round of the playoffs,” said Guiao.
That became mathematically possible after San Miguel suffered its first defeat in nine games in an out-of-town sortie in Tacloban on Saturday.
The Beermen, who came into the game looking to come within a win of duplicating their franchise-best 10-0 start, took an 82-78 loss at the hands of Rain or Shine on Saturday, blowing a 16-0 lead and failing to convert on a golden opportunity to forge overtime in the dying seconds.
Though they remained firmly on top with an 8-1 card, the race for one of two automatic semifinal berths found new teams in contention with the Elasto Painters also improving to 6-5.
Rain or Shine snapped a four-game losing streak with the win after getting 25 points from Jai Lewis and forcing San Miguel import Gabe Freeman to commit a traveling violation in the potential game-tying play for the Beermen with six seconds left.
Coca-Cola also got back on the winning track earlier by using a similar fourth quarter breakaway to frustrate Barako Bull and new import Daryan Selvy for a 120-106 triumph in the first game.
James Penny scored 36 points and Asi Taulava had 23 on top of 10 rebounds for the Tigers, who are now 3-6 and more or less sealed the Energ Boosters’ fate of finishing last for the second straight tournament.
Selvy, a former Oklahoma Sooner in the US NCAA, was quietly shipped in by Barako Bull on Saturday to take the place of Jeff Varem, becoming the team’s third import after Scooter McFadgon.
The 6-foot-5 member of the Aishin Seahorses team that won the Japanese professional league championship recently had his moments early when Coca-Cola coaching staff had no idea on how to play him.
Most of his 30 points came in the early goings, but he was a virtual non-factor in the stretch when the Tigers made one searing run that sealed the outcome. The Boosters slipped to 2-9 with their fifth straight loss.
Bo Perasol coached the Tigers to the win, marking the second straight night that head coach Kenneth Duremdes failed to call the shots because of a serious case of sore eyes.
Interestingly, Barako Bull coach Leo Isaac was also not in the venue because of the flu.
