PUREFOODS CLOBBERS BATTLE-WEARY RED BULL
Raymundo, Lanete baffle defenders, lead Giants’ brilliant semis start
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Raymundo, Lanete baffle defenders, lead Giants’ brilliant semis start
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Going to their long break, the last thing coach Ryan Gregorio was worrying about was possible rustiness for his team.
"You get rusty only if you allow yourself to be. If it happens, it means you didn’t do your assignments," said Gregorio then.
Obviously, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants did theirs.
The Giants came out strong from an 11-day hiatus and walloped the Red Bull Barakos, 103-84, in the opener of their 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the Astrodome.
"I think we went up against a battle-weary Red Bull. We came out strong and did a good job staying close with their shooters," said Gregorio.
"But Game Two is gonna be different. The two-day rest will give them enough time to rest. They’re always tough to beat because they have a big fighting heart," added Gregorio. "The only advantage that I can see right now is that we only need to win three games. They need to win four."
The Giants pulled one big game together but rookie Chico Lanete got the loudest cheers as he came like a thunderbolt in the third quarter, highlighting a searing Purefoods breakaway in the third period.
Lanete scored all but two of his 18 points in the third quarter, going 4-of-5 from the three-point arc and 4-of-4 from the stripe.
Purefoods got off to a strong start but Red Bull stayed in the game until Lanete sparked the Giants’ back-breaking third-quarter assault.
"Chico is a big-time player. He knows when to light up. He’ll be a marked man next time but he will find ways to score," said Gregorio of his prized acquisition from the rookie free-agent pool.
When Lanete was done hitting his four three-pointers, the Giants found themselves way ahead at 73-55.
With Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao refusing to call a timeout, the Giants simply rode the momentum and enjoyed leads of as much as 27 points.
Lanete piled up 18 points, six rebounds and one steal in only 17 minutes of action.
Kerby Raymundo scored a game-high 24 points while Marc Pingris came through with a double-double job with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Purefoods led from start to finish but Red Bull stood within striking distance, 44-48, at halftime.
Raymundo scattered 10 points in the first quarter, providing the initial spark for Purefoods as the team took a 29-16 lead at the end of the opening canto. (NC)
The scores:
Purefoods 103 – Raymundo 24, Lanete 18, Pingris 14, Yap R. 12, Yap J. 11, Yee 8, Simon 7, Adducul 5, Evangelista 4, Sanz 0.
Red Bull 84 – Valenzuela 15, Najorda 11, Baguio 10, Bugia 8, Sharma 8, Adriano 8, Hrabak 6, Ybanez 5, Duncil 4, Robinson 3, Cruz 3, Pennisi 3.
"You get rusty only if you allow yourself to be. If it happens, it means you didn’t do your assignments," said Gregorio then.
Obviously, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants did theirs.
The Giants came out strong from an 11-day hiatus and walloped the Red Bull Barakos, 103-84, in the opener of their 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal showdown at the Astrodome.
"I think we went up against a battle-weary Red Bull. We came out strong and did a good job staying close with their shooters," said Gregorio.
"But Game Two is gonna be different. The two-day rest will give them enough time to rest. They’re always tough to beat because they have a big fighting heart," added Gregorio. "The only advantage that I can see right now is that we only need to win three games. They need to win four."
The Giants pulled one big game together but rookie Chico Lanete got the loudest cheers as he came like a thunderbolt in the third quarter, highlighting a searing Purefoods breakaway in the third period.
Lanete scored all but two of his 18 points in the third quarter, going 4-of-5 from the three-point arc and 4-of-4 from the stripe.
Purefoods got off to a strong start but Red Bull stayed in the game until Lanete sparked the Giants’ back-breaking third-quarter assault.
"Chico is a big-time player. He knows when to light up. He’ll be a marked man next time but he will find ways to score," said Gregorio of his prized acquisition from the rookie free-agent pool.
When Lanete was done hitting his four three-pointers, the Giants found themselves way ahead at 73-55.
With Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao refusing to call a timeout, the Giants simply rode the momentum and enjoyed leads of as much as 27 points.
Lanete piled up 18 points, six rebounds and one steal in only 17 minutes of action.
Kerby Raymundo scored a game-high 24 points while Marc Pingris came through with a double-double job with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Purefoods led from start to finish but Red Bull stood within striking distance, 44-48, at halftime.
Raymundo scattered 10 points in the first quarter, providing the initial spark for Purefoods as the team took a 29-16 lead at the end of the opening canto. (NC)
The scores:
Purefoods 103 – Raymundo 24, Lanete 18, Pingris 14, Yap R. 12, Yap J. 11, Yee 8, Simon 7, Adducul 5, Evangelista 4, Sanz 0.
Red Bull 84 – Valenzuela 15, Najorda 11, Baguio 10, Bugia 8, Sharma 8, Adriano 8, Hrabak 6, Ybanez 5, Duncil 4, Robinson 3, Cruz 3, Pennisi 3.
source: pba.com.ph
