A few days after they got robbed right inside the Mall of Asia Arena, the Meralco Bolts rebounded by finishing strong and beating the Air21 Express. Sol Mercado and Mac Cardona combined for 42 points to lead the Bolts, now at 3 wins and 2 losses, while Reynel Hugnatan and Jay-R Reyes paired up for 17 points and 24 rebounds down low.
Meralco employed great defense here, limiting all but one Express player to single digits (John Wilson netted 16 points), while also forcing 19 Air21 turnovers. Meralco coach Ryan Gregorios wards shot a blistering 41% from beyond the arc, highlighted by a combined 10 treys from Mercado, Cardona, and Ronjay Buenafe.
In the second game, the Boosters relied on steady execution in the second half to turn back the tough-fighting Ginebra Kings. Alex Cabagnot came through this time around, seemingly responding to the call-out made by teammate Arwind Santos after their previous loss, scoring 25 points while dishing out 9 assists. For his part, Santos recorded a monster double-double, scoring 22 markers, collaring 17 rebounds, and blocking 2 shots. Former Gilas standout Chris Lutz, who engaged Ginebra ace Mark Caguioa in a word war throughout the match, also did well, putting up 18 points. Former Green Archer Joseph Yeo, meanwhile, hit 4 triples on his way to finishing with 16 markers.
Caguioa led the Kings with 23 points, but he shot just 9-of-25 from the field. LA Tenorio also had a good game, bouncing back from his subpar performance last Friday by recording 15 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. It was all for naught, however, as Ginebra fell for the third time in a row after winning its first two assignments.
Game Recaps: MERALCO BOLTS over AIR21 EXPRESS, 85-72
Meralco notched a win that somehow eased the pain on its horrific experience from its previous trip at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Bolts vented their ire on the Air 21 Express for an 85-72 win in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup, coming out winners this time at the state-of-the-art venue in Pasay City.
We defended well today. We defended our things well and the numbers put up by Air 21 are not so significant, said Meralco head coach Ryan Gregorio, who was among Bolts member victimized by thieves who ransacked their locker room last Wednesday, during halftime of their 105-104 loss to GlobalPort.
After that harrowing experience, we were able to bounce back strong, came out with better focus, competed and played good basketball.
Gregorio blamed himself on their one-point loss to Batang Pier but his players came out with better focus and determination for 48 minutes to claim their third win in five matches.
With Meralco management deploying its own security personnel for the locker room, the Bolts were able to concentrate on the battle on the court.
Solomon Mercado finished with a game-high 24 points spiked by five three-pointers, while Mark Cardona and Ronjay Buenafe contributed 18 and 13 points, respectively, for the Bolts
Reynel Hugnatan also came up huge for Meralco with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
John Wilson was the lone Air 21 player in double figures with 16 points. The Express win-loss record dropped to 1-4.
Air 21 was in the thick of things early in the fourth quarter, trailing 63-59, before Hugnatan and Cardona joined forces for a decisive 16-3 burst to pull away from a tight contest with 5:13 left in the game.
Were lacking consistency right now. We can compete in certain level but we cant execute down the stretch, said Express coach Franz Pumaren. I guess the players are still feeling each other.
PETRON BLAZE BOOSTERS over BGY. GINEBRA KINGS, 98-95
Arwind Santos scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, while Alex Cabagnot added 25 points as Petron snapped its two-game Philippine Cup losing streak with a 98-95 victory over Ginebra Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The victory came just two days after Santos called out his teammates for lacking heart. In earlier comments to InterAKTV, he specifically mentioned Cabagnots play.
After the game, Santos stood by his statements.
Alam niya naman kung bakit ako nagsalita ng ganoon. Alam niya naman ang pagkatao ko, said Santos.
Sana yung pagkakabitaw ko ng salitang yun, sana magtuloy-tuloy pa. Sana maintindihan nila ako. Sabi ko kay Alex, Prove it to me.
Petron was up in the fourth quarter, 89-80, on a layup by Joseph Yeo, before Ginebra rattled off an 11-2 run to come within two points. A putback by Willie Wilson a couple of plays later tied the game at 95-all.
Petron regained the lead on a layup by Joseph Yeo, before LA Tenorio threw the ball away in the ensuing possession with less than 10 seconds to go. Ginebra sent Cabagnot to the line, and the Boosters point guard split his free throws.
Mark Caguioa had one last shot to tie the game for Ginebra, but his three-point attempt hit the back of the iron, allowing Santos to collar the rebound to seal the win.
Cabagnot added eight assists, while Chris Lutz had 18 points. Yeo chipped in 16 points, including four three-pointers.
I think Petron plays better with an injured lineup, said Boosters coach Olsen Racela, who lost veteran Danny Ildefonso during the game due to a dislocated left shoulder. The team is already without top pick June Mar Fajardo, who underwent an operation for his swollen scrotum.
It really shows the character of the team. Everyone is helping out, added Racela.
It was Ginebras third consecutive loss after winning its first two Philippine Cup assignments. Petron moved into a tie with the Gin Kings in the standings with similar 2-3 win-loss records.
The FIBA Asia Cup will be held from August 8-20 in Lebanon, and this runs in conflict with the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which will happen on August 19-30. The overlap in schedule may not be an issue for majority of the Southeast Asian countries, but for the Philippines, the region's lone representative to Asia's premiere basketball tournament, it means finding ways to divide its resources but still ensuring it puts up strong teams for both competitions [read more]
The FIBA Asia Cup will be held from August 8-20 in Lebanon, and this runs in conflict with the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which will happen on August 19-30. The overlap in schedule may not be an issue for majority of the Southeast Asian countries, but for the Philippines, the region's lone representative to Asia's premiere basketball tournament, it means finding ways to divide its resources but still ensuring it puts up strong teams for both competitions.
For the FIBA Asia Cup, the Philippine coaching staff has deemed it fit to send the Gilas team which dominated SEABA by an average winning margin of 58.6 points. For the SEA Games, the Philippines will be represented by players from the Gilas Cadet pool plus a number of late recent call-ups. The 12 players chosen are 6'5 Carl Bryan Cruz, 6'0 Mike Tolomia, 5'10 Almond Vosotros, 6'4 Kevin Ferrer, 6'2 Von Pessumal, 6'5 Raymar Jose, 5'11 Baser Amer, 6'0 Kiefer Ravena, 6'4 Bobby Ray Parks, 6'7 Kobe Paras, 6'8 Christian Standhardinger, and 6'7 Troy Rosario.
A closer look at the line-up will reveal that this is a very young Philippine team, with only Vosotros and Fil-German Standhardinger who are above 25. The average age of the entire team is 24 years old. But let not the team's youth fool you, because this team is built to win the SEA Games gold, something the Philippines has done 17 out of the 18 times basketball has been played in the SEA Games.
Southeast Asian countries have been improving over the last couple of years, and this is something that is not lost on the Gilas coaching staff. They recognize the threat posed by Indonesia, which will be bannered by naturalized player Jamarr Johnson, Arki Wisnu, and wily veteran Mario Wuysang, Singapore which has been toughened by the Asean Basketball League and is led by Wei Long Wong and Delvin Goh, Malaysia which has been learning the Philippine brand of basketball thru its participation in the PBA D-League, and Thailand which could feature some outstanding Thai-Americans like Moses Morgan, Tyler Lamb, and Freddie Goldstein. Hence, the Gilas coaching staff has formed a team that has not just the talent but also the experience to compete against and match the firepower of other Southeast Asian countries.
Troy Rosario will provide the leadership for the Gilas SEA Games squad. At only 25, Rosario is already a seasoned international campaigner. He was the anchor of and the only active PBA player in the Philippine team which won the 2016 SEABA Cup. He has played in the 2015 SEA Games and 2015 SEABA. He has also been part of the senior men's team which played in the 2015 Jones Cup, the 2016 FIBA Olympic qualifier, and 2017 SEABA. Another player who will provide stability will be Baser Amer, who on his second season as a pro with the Meralco Bolts, has shown remarkable improvement and is proving to be one of the top young point guards today in the PBA.
Tasked to man the slot for the Philippines and go up against the likes of Jamarr Johnson and Delvin Goh is Standhardinger, who plays professionally for SC Rasta Vechta in the German ProA and has played in the Bundesliga. Standhardinger played US NCAA Division 1 college ball for Nebraska and University of Hawaii. Another player with US NCAA experience is Paras, who at 19 years old will be the youngest in the Gilas line-up. Paras spent his rookie season with Creighton and will be redshirting this season for Cal State Northridge before resuming his US NCAA Division 1 collegiate basketball career next year.
Parks and Ravena, both proven offensive juggernauts, could turn out to be the 1-2 scoring punch for this Gilas team, and other Southeast Asian teams will be hard-pressed to design defensive schemes to slow these two down. Ravena, who is seeking his 4th SEA Games gold which will make him the most bemedalled Filipino cager in the biennial meet's history, spent last season as a development player for the NBA D-League team the Texas Legend. Parks was a mainstay of the Texas Legend in the 2015-2016 season of the NBA D-League. He has also played for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2015 NBA Summer League. This past season, Parks played in the Asean Basketball League where he was named the local MVP.
The Gilas team to the 2017 SEA Games may not be able to dominate the way their senior counterparts did during the SEABA, but they will still enter the SEA Games basketball competition as the prohibitive favorites. The team knows that the goal is nothing less than the championship. The Gilas team will be out to prove that even without its top players, they still have enough to show that the SEA Games gold belongs to the region's undisputed basketball king and that is the Philippines.
Chane Behanan (ex Guayama) joins Mahindra - 1 day ago
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Mahindra Floodbuster (PBA) agreed terms with 25-year old American forward Chane Behanan (198-113kg-92, college: Louisville). He played this summer at Brujos de Guayama in Puerto Rican BSN league. In 6 games he had 13.2ppg, 8.2rpg, 2.5apg and 1.0spg. Behanan also played that season for Capitanes (also in BSN) where in 14 games he recorded 12.3ppg, 7.7rpg, 2.3apg and 1.4spg. Three years ago he was drafted by Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League) in first round (14th overall). Behanan attended... [read more]
Mahindra Floodbuster (PBA) agreed terms with 25-year old American forward Chane Behanan (198-113kg-92, college: Louisville). He played this summer at Brujos de Guayama in Puerto Rican BSN league. In 6 games he had 13.2ppg, 8.2rpg, 2.5apg and 1.0spg. Behanan also played that season for Capitanes (also in BSN) where in 14 games he recorded 12.3ppg, 7.7rpg, 2.3apg and 1.4spg. Three years ago he was drafted by Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League) in first round (14th overall). Behanan attended University of Louisville until 2014 and it is his fourth season in pro basketball. He has tried to make it to the NBA and played in the NBA Pro Summer League in 2016. The list of the past achievements is quite long as among others Behanan won Dominican Rep. LNB North Division championship title in 2016. He was also voted Latinbasket.com All-Puerto Rican BSN 2nd Team in 2016. Behanan is quite experienced player. His career allowed him to visit three different continents, while he played in five different countries. Behanan tasted the life as pro basketball player in Europe, Latin America and of course North America. He has played previously professionally in Germany (Science City Jena), Mexico (Soles), NBA G League (Salt Lake City Stars and Reno Bighorns) and Dominican Republic (Metros de Santiago).
Beermen Topple Ka Tropa In Game 3, Lead Series 2-1 - 3 days ago
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San Miguel Beer continued to show its championship class versus TNT KaTropa in an intense battle, fashioning out a 109-97 win to grab the 2-1 lead in the PBA Commissioner's Cup best-of-seven finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday. Even with import Charles Rhodes on the bench with five fouls, the Beermen unleashed a crucial attack entering the homestretch and went on to nail a follow-up to their 102-88 victory in Game Two. San Miguel seeks the pivotal 3-1 at the resumption of the seri... [read more]
San Miguel Beer continued to show its championship class versus TNT KaTropa in an intense battle, fashioning out a 109-97 win to grab the 2-1 lead in the PBA Commissioner's Cup best-of-seven finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday. Even with import Charles Rhodes on the bench with five fouls, the Beermen unleashed a crucial attack entering the homestretch and went on to nail a follow-up to their 102-88 victory in Game Two. San Miguel seeks the pivotal 3-1 at the resumption of the series at 7 p.m. Wednesday also at the Big Dome. Chris Ross (185-G-85, college: Marshall), Marcio Lassiter (190-G-87, college: CS Fullerton), Arwind Santos (193-F-81) and June Mar Fajardo (210-C-89) opened a 99-88 SMB lead then Rhodes returned to the floor to help the Beermen complete the decisive win. Rhodes came through with a double-double game with 25 points and 20 rebounds, with Ross, Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot (183-G-82, college: Hawaii-Hilo) had their significant contributions for the Beermen who struck hard in the second half. Jason Castro, RR Garcia and Josh Smith spearheaded TNT's challenge. Curiously, RR Pogoy remained practically missing in action, finishing with a big fat egg for the second game in a row. A heated confrontation between Ross and Ryan Reyes midway through the second period nearly escalated into a brawl in an accident curiously involving TNT import reserves Mike Myers (206-F-92, college: Md-E Shore) and Mike Craig. The two earlier figured in a thrash-talking tussle with Ross and other SMB players, and had to be ejected from the VIP row. They then transferred behind the TNT bench, and figured in an altercation with SMB personalities on the way to the dugout at the halftime break. The first half was a fierce, intense battle where no team led by more than nine. The Beermen led by nine at 32-25 before the Texters unloaded a 22-10 salvo to race ahead at 47-42. A slam by Rhodes and a basket by Brian Quinton Heruela (183-G-89) on a drive narrowed down their deficit to 46-47 at the turn. Garcia and Cabagnot engaged in an exciting matchup in the first half with the TNT guard striking with 15 markers as against the SMB playmaker's 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and one block. Lassiter started the game with a three-pointer - his first in the series after going 0-of-11 from the arc in Game One then missing an attempt in Game Two. Early in the third, Lassiter converted a tough, awkward twinner giving SMB a first double-digit spread at 62-52. Courtesy of: pba.ph
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