Solid defense still key – Black

Stay out of foul trouble and Sta. Lucia will find the right mix to dethrone San Miguel Beer in their title rematch.

This coach Norman Black believes as his Realtors have beaten the Beermen twice in their first three games and are raring to go for a third win to put more pressure on the beleaguered defending champions in Game Four of their PBA Governors Cup best-of-seven showdown at the Philsports Arena today.

"If we stay out of trouble, we can be aggressive throughout, we can play good defense and that will be the key. We really have to defend well to beat San Miguel," said Black on the eve of the match that could well decide the fate of his team.

A win in the 7 p.m. tiff will give Sta. Lucia a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, the momentum and, probably. an unwavering confidence needed for a first-ever championship in the league.

A loss, however, will allow San Miguel to get back into the fight, and probably ignite a run that could send the team all the way to a third straight championship in the season-ending tournament.

As it is, the 2-1 lead is the best the Realtors could ever get at the championship. Against the same rival in their first finals stint in the Commissioner’s Cup last year, the Realtors merely avoided being swept, winning Game Four before eventually losing the series in the next game.

Despite the lead, Black is wary they can’t easily dispose of the Beermen.

"They’ve been here many times before. They have the heart of a champion, I expect them to come out even tougher in Game Four," said Black.

For the record, San Miguel has fallen one-game-to-two in a best-of-seven title series nine times in the past, claiming the crown in three occasions.

The Realtors took the decisive 2-1 lead Sunday as they brandished a fluid motion offense and unravelled a pressure-packed defense, pulling off an emphatic 83-74 victory.

Black said they were able to impose their will on the Beermen in Game Three with his key players staying out of trouble, unlike in Game Two where Marlou Aquino, Dennis Espino and Gerard Francisco spent crucial minutes on the bench because of fouls.

Damian Owens, named Best Import before the game, came out to prove he deserved the award, hacking out a solid-no relief job with 32 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, four steals against three turnovers. Francisco and Felix Belano had their share of heroics, combining for 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Aquino had 11 points and eight rebounds while Espino had nine points and the same number of assists.