Viva-FEU one win away

Warren Ybanez atoned for a listless start by coming up with big plays down the stretch as Viva-FEU rallied to beat Welcoat Paints, 66-64, yesterday and move within a win from clinching its first-ever crown in the PBL Unity Cup before a packed Pasig Sports Center.

The cat-quick Ybanez stepped up for the Water Force when they needed him most as the veteran cager came through with key steals while knocking in three pressure-packed foul shots in the clutch to cap Viva’s fiery comeback from eight points down in the fourth period and into a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five title showdown.

"Basta ginawa ko lang ang makakaya ko maski medyo masama ang nilaro ko nung simula," said Ybanez, who started out with five turnovers and several bungled plays as Viva-FEU trailed by as many as 10 points (31-41) at the turn and 51-59 heading into the fourth.

"Pero hindi talaga ako sumuko dahil alam kong importante ang game na ito," added the 24-year-old Cainta, Rizal native who played for the now-defunct two-time winner Shark Energy Drink.

The Water Force gun for the clincher tomorrow.

While Ybanez’s spunk and experience helped power Viva-FEU to the pivotal win, it was the troika of Cesar Catli, Arwind Santos and Dennis Miranda which kept the 2003 runner-up in the contest when Welcoat tried to put the game out of reach.

Catli, who failed to suit up in a low-scoring 35-32 Game 2 loss last Tuesday due to a strained knee he sustained in Monday’s team practice, torched the Paint Masters with 13 points, including nine from behind the arc.

After a scoreless stint in the first half, Santos, the league’s conference MVP, came alive at resumption of play and fired 12 points, five of which coming in the final period when the Water Force erased an eight-point deficit.

Miranda, on the other hand, chipped in 10 points on top of six boards, three assists and a steal while providing the sticky defense that stifled Welcoat’s offensive thrusts in the fourth.

"It was a team effort, everybody contributed," said Viva-FEU coach Koy Banal, referring to the likes of Joel Co, Gerard Jones, Jason Misolas, Mark Isip and rookie Neil Raneses.

"To be honest, there is nothing technical about this game, we just kept the faith and I praise God for guiding us," he added.

Jojo Tangkay bounced back from a miserable performance the last time out with 16 points but he was held scoreless in the last period. Worse was Chester Tolomia, who had 16 in Game 2 but failed to score a point yesterday.

The Water Force, runners-up to the Hapee Teeth Sparklers last year, actually raced to a 21-16 lead but Tangkay caught fire in the second quarter to power the Paint Masters to a 41-31 lead at the turn.

Welcoat kept a 59-51 lead after three quarters.

But Santos sparked a big 12-2 run then swatted away a couple of Welcoat shots before Ybanez came through with a steal off Dino Aldeguer and Lou Gatumbato then delivered the marginal baskets down the stretch.