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| Ranidel De Ocampo was the hot hand as TNT blasted the Meralco Bolts. |
TALK N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS over MERALCO BOLTS, 108-84
With his team battling for survival, Chot Reyes and his Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters came out with a sense of urgency against the Meralco Bolts.
Ranidel de Ocampo bounced back from a miserable showing Saturday against B-MEG, making all his three-pointers and finishing with 24 points to typify the Tropang Texters’ steady shooting and win handily over the Bolts, 108-84, Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
In winning their first semis game, the Tropang Texters improved their card to 6-5, but the team still cannot afford to lose any more games in their tough upcoming schedule – against Petron, Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra.
The Tropang Texters went on an early rampage, jumping the gun on their sister team and posting a 31-12 lead in the first period. They never looked back as they secured their sixth win in 11 matches.
Japeth Aguilar contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds in what was easily one of his most productive games.
Jimmy Alapag contributed 12 markers and Kelly Williams had 11. Earlier, Williams also achieved a milestone, becoming the 35th player to grab 2,000 defensive rebounds.
Talk N Text import Paul Harris added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Tropang Texters.
TNT 108 – De Ocampo 24, Aguilar 20, Alapag 12, Williams 11, Harris 10, Peek 8, Castro 7, Fonacier 5, Alvarez 5, Raymundo 4, Gamalinda 2, Aban 0, Lao 0.
MER 84 – West 21, Cardona 13, Daa 11, Mercado 9, Bulawan 8, Taulava 6, Hugnatan 5, Ballesteros 4, Reyes 4, Borboran 3, Ross 0, Timberlake 0, Artadi 0.
QS: 31-16, 64-43, 89-63, 108-84
B-MEG LLAMADOS over PETRON BLAZE BOOSTERS, 104-93
Instead of talking to the media, B-MEG coach Tim Cone ushered his coaching staff to do the post-game interview after the Llamados picked up their second straight win in the semifinals of the Governors’ Cup.
Despite Cone’s ejection in the second quarter, B-MEG rallied to defeat Petron, 104-93, Wednesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“These guys won the game for us. Now I can retire and allow this group to take over my place,” said Cone in a jest before leaving the room.
The Llamados were down by 19 points with 1:43 left in the second quarter when the American coach was called for his second technical foul, leading to his ejection. Jeffrey Cariaso, a neophyte assistant coach and a longtime Cone disciple as a player, called the shots for the Llamados.
Marqus Blakely finished with 35 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, when the Llamados outscored the Boosters, 37-19. He made one spectacular play after another, including a thunderous slam similar a monster tomahawk jam a la Julius Ervin, that gave B-MEG a 96-89 with 3:06 left in the game.
The B-MEG reinforcement, a strong candidate for the Best Import award, also had 11 rebounds, five steals and three blocks.
The Llamados improved their win-loss record to 8-3, keeping within striking distance of first place Rain or Shine. Defending champion Petron collapsed for the second straight game to drop to fifth place with just two games remaining. With the 4-of-5 incentive out of its reach, the Boosters need to hope that none of B-MEG, Ginebra, and Talk ‘N Text win more than eight games.
BML 104 – Blakely 35, Yap 20, Pingris 18, Simon 10, Villanueva 8, Reavis 4, De Ocampo 4, Urbiztondo 3, Barroca 2.
PET 93 – Cabagnot 22, Washington 15, Santos 14, Ildefonso 14, Faison 12, Lutz 6, Hontiveros 5, Yeo 2, Miranda 2, Pena 1.
QS: 19-32, 44-57, 67-74, 104-93
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| Marqus Blakely dropped 35 as B-Meg collected its 8th win in the conference. |
BGY. GINEBRA KINGS over RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO-PAINTERS, 95-86
Up against the league-leading Rain or Shine squad, the Gin Kings banked on another solid game from Mark Caguioa, who erupted for 29 points on top of five three-pointers to lead his team to a 95-86 triumph in PBA Governors’ Cup action Thursday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The win, the Gin Kings’ third straight in the semifinal round, put the squad in solid position for a possible finals berth. They improved their win-loss record to 8-4 and are one win away from securing at least a playoff for a finals berth.
The victory also meant that a new Governors’ Cup champion will be crowned. Either Ginebra or B-MEG, who have yet to play each other in the semis, will reach nine wins, eliminating the defending champion Petron Blaze Boosters from contention.
Ginebra also moved a game behind the Elasto Painters, who absorbed their third loss in the tournament. Rain or Shine has lost two of its three games in the semis and now has a 9-3 win-loss card.
Caguioa scored 20 points in the second and third periods, when the Gin Kings came back from an early 10-point deficit.
Ginebra pulled away, 70-60, in the latter part of the third period.
Gin Kings import Cedric Bozeman, concentrated on hounding Rain or Shine prized guard Paul Lee, who still managed to score 19.
Ginebra was able to hold Rain or Shine import Jamelle Cornley to only 13 points on 4-of-12 field goals.
Even Jeff Chan struggled from his shooting, making only 2-for-10 attempts from beyond the arc.
GIN 95 – Caguioa 29, Bozeman 19, Raymundo 15, Helterbrand 11, Hatfield 8, W. Wilson 5, Villanueva 4, Maliksi 2, Cortez 2, Wilson 0, Ababou 0, Maierhofer 0.
ROS 86 – Lee 19, Chan 14, Cornley 13, Norwood 11, Ibanes 9, Cruz 6, Quinahan 5, Arana 4, Belga 3, Buenafe 2.
QS: 18-28, 45-45, 70-65, 95-86
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| Mark Caguioa was virtually unstoppable as the Gin Kings handed the Painters just their third loss. |
MERALCO BOLTS over B-MEG LLAMADOS, 104-101
Out of playoff contention, the Meralco Bolts were content to play the spoiler role on Friday, defeating the B-MEG Llamados 104-101 in Governors’ Cup semifinals action at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Sol Mercado, Mario West, and Chris Ross outsprinted the Llamados right from the opening tip off as the Bolts dominated most of the game before weathering a late uprising by B-MEG.
Mercado finished with a game-high 30 points, five assists, and three steals while West contributed 29 points, including several highlight reel dunks.
Ross added 18 points, five assists and three steals, and completed a three-point play off a foul from Josh Urbiztondo in the last 6.7 seconds that gave the Bolts a 102-98 lead.
But B-MEG, which tried to pull off a come-from-behind win for the third straight game in the semis, refused to fold up easily as James Yap buried a three-pointer off the glass to shove the Llamados within one point, 102-101, with 3.9 seconds left in the match.
In the next play, the Llamados fouled Asi Taulava, who split his charities for a 103-101 lead.
Left without a timeout, Tim Cone used an excessive timeout resulting in a technical foul charged on the team and a free throw for Mac Cardona, which gave him an opportunity to map up a play. But Ross stole the ball off an intended inbound pass to Urbiztondo as Meralco escaped with the win.
It was the first loss in the semis for B-Meg, which fell into a tie for second and third places with idle Ginebra. Both teams carry 8-4 win-loss cards heading into their much-awaited Manila Clasico encounter on Sunday.
B-MEG’s loss means that Rain or Shine, which continues to stay on top, has clinched at least a playoff for a finals berth. The Elasto Painters tote a 9-3 record, putting the franchise in solid position to secure its first championship appearance in franchise history.
MER 104 – Mercado 30, West 29, Ross 18, Cardona 11, Taulava 9, Macapagal 3, Timberlake 2, Reyes 2.
BML 101 – Blakely 30, Yap 22, Simon 13, Barroca 11, De Ocampo 11, Urbiztondo 6, Pingris 5, Villanueva 3, Reavis 0.
QS: 31-17, 54-43, 77-63, 104-101
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| Sol Mercado and the Bolts complicated things for B-Meg as they played the role of spoiler. |
TALK N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS over PETRON BLAZE BOOSTERS, 103-94
With its 103-94 victory over Petron, Talk ‘N Text remained alive in its push for a finals slot for the sixth consecutive performance.
Jimmy Alapag came through with a gutsy performance, bucking fever to finish with 21 points, while import Paul Harris led the way with 31 points and nine rebounds in the Tropang Texters victory Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Talk ‘N Text won their second semis game against one loss, keeping the door open for the team to win four of five matches, which comes with a berth for a playoff for the second finals seat.
Against the ousted defending champion Petron, Talk ‘N Text played with more tenacity, outrebounding the Boosters, 47-35.
Playing with a sense of urgency, the Tropang Texters dictated the tempo of the game early on and led 49-38 at the half.
The Tropang Texters also took away the game of Petron Blaze import Marcus Faison, who was held scoreless in the second and fourth periods.
TNT 103 – Harris 31, Alapag 21, De Ocampo 19, Castro 10, Fonacier 8, Williams 7, Aguilar 4, Peek 3, Reyes 0, Aban 0, Alvarez 0.
PET 94 – Lutz 23, Ildefonso 17, Faison 10, Santos 10, Washington 10, Cabagnot 9, Yeo 7, Lanete 4, Pena 4, Hontiveros 0.
QS: 28-19; 49-38; 70-72; 103-94
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| Japeth Aguilar continues to play quality minutes as the Texters close in on a Finals berth. |
B-MEG LLAMADOS over BGY. GINEBRA KINGS, 82-70
B-Meg held Mark Caguioa without a field goal in a foul-plagued 29 minutes of action to post an impressive 82-70 shellacking of Barangay Ginebra and seal at least a playoff for a finals seat in the PBA Governors’ Cup Sunday night at the jampacked SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Llamados found a new offensive star in Marc Pingris, who collected a personal season-high 24 points and 13 rebounds, but it was their defense on Caguioa that helped them grab the important win.
Caguioa, who averaged 21.3 points over the past three semifinals games, was held to just three free throws and 0-of-12 shooting from the field.
B-MEG improved its win-loss mark to 9-4, including 3-1 in the semis. The Llamados are now just half a game behind league-leading Rain or Shine (9-3) in the standings.
Marqus Blakely added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Llamados, who entered the game reeling from a 104-101 loss handed by Meralco.
James Yap and Rafi Reavis each had 11 points for B-MEG, which will play the Elasto Painters in the final day of the semis on Wednesday.
Cedric Bozeman led the Gin Kings with 22 points to go along with his 13 rebounds. Jayjay Helterbrand and Kerby Raymundo chipped in 16 and 14 points respectively for Ginebra.
It was Ginebra’s first loss in the semis after three straight wins. The Gin Kings’ record dropped to 8-5 and they must beat Talk ‘N Text in their final game on Wednesday to force a playoff for the second finals berth with the four-of-five incentive.
BML 82 - Pingris 24, Blakely 17, Yap 11, Reavis 11, Urbiztondo 9, Simon 4, De Ocampo 4, Villanueva 2, Barroca 0.
GIN 70 - Bozeman 22, Helterbrand 16, Raymundo 14, Mamaril 4, Cortez 4, Caguioa 3, Maierhofer 2, Wilson W 2, Hatfield 2, Villanueva 1, Maliksi 0, Ababou 0, Canaleta 0, Menk 0.
QS: 19-16, 32-25, 62-51, 82-70
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| Marc Pingris was a beast in leading B-Meg to win #9. |
MERALCO BOLTS over PETRON BLAZE BOOSTERS, 113-112
Meralco survived an Alex Cabagnot-led uprising by Petron Blaze and held on for a pulsating 113-112 win to end its season on a high note in the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Mario West eluded three defenders in the closing seconds and hit a difficult shot that proved to be the game-winner for the Bolts.
The Bolts ended their campaign in back-to-back wins to grab fifth place in the season-ending conference. They finished the season with an overall 20-23 record, a big improvement from their 13-20 mark in their inaugural stint last yeat.
West’s golden basket capped his 41-point explosion in 48 minutes of play.
It came after Cabagnot drilled a three-pointer to put the Boosters to a 112-111 lead with 5.7 seconds remaining.
Gregorio sued for a timeout and let West attack the shaded area. He was met by three Petron players but was able to elude their defense with a twisting drive.
Mark Cardona added 26 points for Meralco while Chris Ross had a near triple-double effort for the Bolts with 10 points, 10 boards and eight assists.
Cabagnot had a great all-around effort with 29 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, but it all went down the drain as the Boosters’ record dropped to 6-8.
Petron finished the season with a 23-23 win-loss mark, its worst season performance in the last four years. Last year, the team had a 32-24 in coach Ato Agustin’s first year at the helm.
MER 113 - West 41, Cardona 26, Mercado 19, Ross 10, Taulava 10, Macapagal 5, Reyes 2, Timberlake 0.
PET 112 - Cabagnot 29, Lutz 22, Santos 16, Faison 15, Washington 11, Pena 6, Yeo 5, Hontiveros 4, Baclao 2, Duncil 2, Lanete 0.
QS: 29-24, 56-46, 88-79, 113-112
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Mario West and the Bolts exited the tourney in style after scraping past the Boosters. |
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| (from PBA-Online.net) |
Source: Unless otherwise specified, game recaps were compressed and compiled from InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Reynaldo Belen and Kris Lagman)
Images: All images are from InterAKTV. (Photo credit to Paolo Papa)
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