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| June Mar Fajardo's debut wasn't exactly as dominant as a lot of people had hoped. |
Two of the
most fancied rookies of the 2012-2013 PBA Season debuted yesterday with
contrasting results.
Chris Tiu,
picked by the Elato-Painters in the first round, played just 6 minutes after
aggravating a previous hamstring injury he sustained while playing for his
Xavier School’s alumni league (according to his brother, Charles). Chris scored
just 2 points.
On the opposite
end of the floor, 2012 top overall pick June Mar Fajardo, nicknamed “The Kracken,”
played heavy minutes, scoring 9 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, but his team,
the Petron Blaze Boosters, failed to notch a win. Fajardo, definitely an
intriguing prospect because of his size, was visibly a step slower than his
smaller but quicker frontline opponents (that’s saying a lot, since he was up
against the Extra Rice Boys of Coach Yeng Guiao). Despite being billed as the “Future
of Philippine Basketball,” it’s clear Fajardo still has a lot to learn.
In the first
game, it was nice seeing Nonoy Baclao putting up a great stat-line, though his
team did lose a close one to the Energy. Baclao was a top overall pick like
Fajardo, and he also struggled when he started his PBA career. It seems,
however, that, with more playing time, the former UAAP Finals MVP can finally
show his true worth.
BARAKO BULL ENERGY over AIR21
EXPRESS, 90-87
Designated
as the new main man of his team, Ronald Tubid presided over the leadership role
and delivered big down the stretch.
The scrappy
wingman from University of the East came to the perfect place at the perfect
time, tipping in an Enrico Villanueva miss and providing the most important
basket in Barako Bull’s tense 90-87 triumph over sister team Air 21 in the PBA
Philippine Cup on a rainy Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“In the
absence of Danny Seigle, our main man was Ronald Tubid,” said Barako Bull coach
Junel Baculi.
“Yes, I am
happy with the way Sean Anthony performed, but Tubid played the leadership role
for the squad.”
Seigle
missed the game because of the flu, but Baculi assured that the veteran forward
will be back in the team’s next game against Petron Blaze, a squad which he
considered as the strongest in the tournament.
Tubid’s
tip-in with 9.2 seconds left proved to be the final basket.
Still, the
Energy Colas had to make a stop and wait for KG Canaleta’s last three-point
attempt. His three-pointer from the left corner rimmed out as time expired.
BAR 90 – Tubid 19, Anthony 18, Kramer
14, Pennisi 11, Urbiztondo 8, Najorda 7, Villanueva 7, Yap 4, Marcelo 2,
Cervantes 0, Cruz 0.
A21 87 – Baclao 18, Wilson 17, Isip 16,
Canaleta 16, Arboleda 7, Custodio 4, Omolon 4, Sena 3, Taha 2, Atkins 0,
Ritualo 0.
QS: 26-27; 49-48; 71-69; 90-87.
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| Ronald Tubid's brilliant offensive play lifted the Energy over the Express. |
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| Sean Anthony had a great first game for his new club. |
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| Air21 rookie Simon Atkins introduces himself to the PBA refs. |
RAIN OR SHINE
ELASTO-PAINTERS over PETRON BLAZE BOOSTERS, 102-86
For Rain or
Shine coach Yeng Guiao, playing Petron Blaze at this early stage of the
tournament is a luxury.
The reigning
Governors’ Cup champion Elasto Painters played true to form in whipping a
talented yet groping-for-form Boosters squad, 102-86, on Wednesday night for a
rousing start in the PBA Philippine Cup at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“As I said
before the game, this is the best time to play Petron, which is still in
transition and has a new coach,” Guiao said during the post-game interview.
“But I
expect them to be a lot more dangerous in three to four games. Swerte kami kami
nauna and I think it won’t be the same way pag nakalaban namin ulit sila.”
The Elasto
Painters worked on their fluidity in offense, executing their plays to
precision.
On defense,
they clamped down on 6-foot-10 rookie June Mar Fajardo, who struggled for nine
points, but grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked two shots.
“I’m happy
with the way the team played. We displayed our poise and newfound confidence we
had in the finals. We’re playing together and it didn’t really matter if we
lost Chris (Tiu) early in the game. Also Paul (Lee) wasn’t able to play, so
we’re short on our guard spot, but everybody made their contributions,” added
Guiao.
Seven
players finished with eight points or more for Rain or Shine, which shot 48.1%
from the field (39-of-81) while limiting Petron to only 34.1% shooting
(29-of-85).
Leading the
way for the Elasto Painters was Jeff Chan, who unloaded 20 points while Jervy
Cruz, JR Quinahan and Jireh Ibanes contributed 13 points apiece.
Chan’s
fastbreak basket gave the Elasto Painters their biggest lead, 101-82, with only
2:21 left in the game.
ROS 102 – Chan 20, Cruz 13, Quinahan 13,
Ibanes 13, Belga 9, Matias 8, Norwood 8, Rodriguez 6, Arana 6, Tang 3, Tiu 2,
Uyloan 1.
PET 86 – Yeo 16, Santos 16, Cabagnot
12, Miranda 11, Fajardo 9, Lutz 8, Washington 7, Pena 4, Mallari 3, Ildefonso
0.
QS: 23-23, 46-47, 78-68, 102-86
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| It was quite disappointing to see Chris Tiu go down with an injury right in his first PBA game. |
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| Jeff Chan showed his fine shooting form again in leading the Painters past the Boosters. |
Source:
Unless otherwise specified, game recaps were compressed and compiled from
InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Rey Joble)
Images: All images are from InterAKTV.
(Photo credit to Paolo Papa)
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