BIG WINDUP GIVES AIR21 WIN OVER GINEBRA

BIG WINDUP GIVES AIR21 WIN OVER GINEBRA
De Ocampo, Santos spoil Caguioa return
Friday, 16 November 2007
Air21 caught fire at the finish and checked a two-game skid with a 102-95 win over Barangay Ginebra in the 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup at the Astrodome Friday night.

The Express torched the Kings at endgame, completing a fiery uprising that had them catching up with the Sta. Lucia Realtors and the Welcoat Dragons at sixth place on their identical 3-4 slates.


Mark Caguioa came out flat in his return from a six-game layoff. Worse, the Kings conked out at endgame as they suffered a fifth loss in seven games – just half-game in front of cellar-dweller Coca-Cola at 1-5.

Hit by a shoulder injury in the recent Fiba-Asia championship in Tokushima, Caguioa returned to action for the Kings in a game marked by several player hard falls, at least two heated confrontations and no less than four technical fouls.

The Express overcame the Kings in the tense and rugged contest, scoring some measure of revenge against the team which swept them in four matches last season.

"This is a big win coming at the expense of Ginebra which we’d never beaten in a while. Na-break na namin ang jinx," said Air21 coach Bo Perasol.

"It’s also a big win because we snapped a two-game slump. Tuwing natatalo kami, nagkakaroon ng kung anong issue. Ang sabi ko lang isang panalo lang ang kailangan at tapos uli ang usapan," Perasol added.

Ranidel de Ocampo and Arwind Santos each scored 23 points and helped fuel the Air21 uprising, combining for 15 in the payoff period.

Jayjay Helterbrand scored 22 points to pace the Kingswho drew only six points from Caguioa, the league two-time reigning scoring champ.

Caguioa was 0-of-3 from the three-point range and 1-of-2 from the two-point zone in the first half taken by the Kings at 48-42.

The Kings enjoyed the six-point lead at halftime with Mike Holper, Sunday Salvacion and Helterbrand delivering for the team early on.

Holper was 3-of-5 from the field and knocked in three charities while Salvacion nailed two triples, a twinner and a foul shot as they made nine points each in the first 24 minutes of play.

The Kings engaged the Express in two deadlocks and five lead changes and surged ahead at the half although worse in shooting with a 37.2 percent clip as against the Air21’s 40.5-percent marksmanship. (NC)

The scores:

Air21 102 – Santos 23, De Ocampo 23, Canaleta 9, Arboleda 9, Kramer 8, Se 8, Dimaunahan 7, Intal 6, Chia 4, Cruz 3, Sotto 2, Baluyot 0.

Ginebra 95 – Helterbrand 22, Macapagal 11, Escalona 10, Tubid 10, Holper 9, Salvacion 9, Redavis 7, Caguioa 6, Mamaril 5, Artadi 4, Menk 2, Abarrientos 0.

Quarterscores: 23-20, 42-48, 67-75, 102-95



/copied from: http://www.pba.ph/content/view/1866/59/