he Sta Lucia Realtors must be really obsessed to win another championship. Driven by that hunger, the Realtors overcame championship jitters and defeated the Purefoods Giants, 109-97, in the opener of the Philippine Basketball Association Cup Finals at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Realtors turned the game around late in the third quarter as the Giants eventually tired out in the face of Sta. Lucia’s tenacious defense. Kelly Williams found his rhythm in the last 12 minutes after struggling for three quarters, providing the finishing touches in the decisive period to cap Sta. Lucia’s amazing comeback. He led all scorers with 24 points, including 14 in the fourth. He also grabbed 12 rebounds, had two assists, one steal and a shot block.
Pressure
The Giants, used to the pressure of championship atmosphere, dictated the pace in the first half.
But Sta Lucia’s defense eventually took its toll on the Giants, who committed 20 turnovers and gave up 25 points.
Dennis Espino scored 20, Nelbert Omolon had 16 and Marlou Aquino contributed 13, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a sterling performance that helped the Realtors get back in the game.
A three-pointer by Christian Coronel put the Realtors ahead 74-72 before Mark Pingris tied it with a jumper in the ensuing play.
Both teams went scoreless for quite a spell before Denok Miranda completed a three-point play, and then scored an eight-footer as Sta. Lucia ended the third on top, 79-74.
The Realtors stretched the lead to 91-81 on a 3-pointer by Norman Gonzales and a free throw by Williams with 7:17 remaining.
The Giants never got closer than six points the rest of the way as they missed easy shots and kept turning the ball over.
Meanwhile, the Red Bull Barakos wrapped up what jaded observers considered was an “impressive effort” by a depleted team with 125-104 victory over the Alaska Aces to salvage third place in the league’s centerpiece tournament.
Cyrus Baguio put on a marvelous performance worthy of another All-Star stint and enough to redeem himself after disappearing in the deciding Game 7 of their semifinal series against Purefoods in which he scored just 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting.
Steals
In a complete turnaround, the athletic, high-leaping guard punctured the hoops for 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting including 6-of-6 from the perimeter. He also had nine assists and two steals to show the way for Red Bull, which ripped the game wide open in the second quarter.
The Scores: Sta Lucia (Realtors) 109 – Williams 24, Espino 20, Omolon 16, Aquino 13, Yeo 11, Miranda 11, Gonzales 8, Coronel 4, Reyes 2, Daa 0.
Purefoods (Giants) 97 – J. Yap 22, Raymundo 16, R. Yap 15, Pingris 12, Simon 11, Adducul 11, Lanete 8, Salvador 2, Sanz 0, Yee 0.
Quarterscores: 19-26; 46-55; 79-74; 109-97.
Red Bull 125 – Baguio 26, Sharma 21, Hrabak 17, Valenzuela 13, Robinson 10, Bugia 9, Adriano 9, Membrere 8, Cruz 8, Duncil 4, Ybanez 3, Pennisi 0.
Alaska 104 – Dela Cruz 31, Cabatu 15, Laure 12, Aban 11, Miller 10, Bono 6, Thoss 5, Quinahan 4, Cortez 4, Hugnatan 2, Bajar 2, Cariaso 2.
Quarterscores: 32-30; 63-49; 87-77; 125-104.
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