Welcoat-Shark Part IV starts

They’ve been at it the last three times, but there seems to be no end to Welcoat and Shark’s thirst for PBL glory that each time the league winds up its conference, they always find themselves clashing for the crown again and again.

Like this one.

Kutitap and ICTSI-La Salle did try to break up the rivalry but both faltered on their respective bids in the wild, wooly semifinal round of the PBL Challenge Cup that needed to be decided in a pair of sudden deaths.

In the end, the Paintmasters and the Power Boosters prevailed to arrange another title clash many feel will go down-to-the-wire again.

"Most of my players who will play in the PBA this year want to make a big impression so expect them to play hard," said Welcoat coach Junel Baculi, whose wards have won two of their last three final faceoffs with the Power Boosters.

Truly, RenRen Ritualo, Yancy de Ocampo, Jojo Manalo, Frederick Canlas and Celino Cruz, who were drafted and signed by their ballclubs in the PBA, are expected to dish out their best games in the series and preserve the team’s winning tradition before they embark on a tougher mission.

It could also be a series Baculi would want to win since there are reports that the talented mentor is being considered by the Olongapo Volunteers in the MBA.

"It’s going to be a tough series again," said Shark coach Leo Austria, whose Power Boosters beat the Paintmasters in this tournament last year. "And we hope to win to retain the only title we won against them (Welcoat)."

This time, however, there will be no Roger Yap, who keyed the Power Boosters’ victory over the Paintmasters here last year but who is now with Purefoods Hotdogs in the PBA.

That leaves Chester Tolomia, who was also drafted and signed by the Barangay Ginebra squad, to carry the cudgels for the Power Boosters although the high-leaping cager had a lackluster game in the team’s 58-56 win over ICTSI-La Salle last Saturday.

In that game, Tolomia, the MVP of last conference, was held to just eight points but his unfancied teammates — Jing Rodriguez, Gerald Ortega, Warren Ybañez and Rolly Basilides — stepped up to anchor the win.

"We can’t just rely on our relievers all day, we need our starters, especially Chester, to step up if we want to win this series," said Austria.

Meanwhile, De Ocampo’s dream of capping his amateur career with an MVP plum got a big boost as he accumulated a total of 588 statistical points after the semifinals of the PBL Challenge Cup.

The 6’8 De Ocampo is now a full 50 points ahead of closest rival, Tolomia, who is also eyeing a back-to-back MVP with 538 SPs.

"Malaking bagay talaga sa akin yung makuha ko ang MVP. But more than that, mas importante ang teamwork kaysa isipin ko ang sarili ko ngayong nasa finals na kami. Nasa championship series ang concentration namin ngayon," said De Ocampo.

Not far behind is teammate Ritualo, who garnered 459 points. Kutitap’s Allan Salangsang and Shark’s Ybañez closely followed with 458 and 449 SPs, respectively.

Ana Freezer’s hard-working forward Roland Pascual is sixth overall with 432 while Kutitap’s Cyrus Baguio and Welcoat’s Manalo are in seventh and eighth with 425 and 405 points.

Winding up the top 10 contenders for the individual awards are Blu Detergent’s Marlon Legaspi (398 SPs) and ICTSI-La Salle’s Mike Cortez (394), who’s also a cinch for the Rookie of the Year plum. – Joey Villar