Tigers derail Express; Alaska triumphs

Coca-Cola tightened up on defense and unleashed a spirited run in the fourth quarter as it shot down Air21, 104-83, yesterday to jumpstart its bid in the 2006 Gran Matador Brandy PBA Philippine Cup on a bright note at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Tigers held the Express to just 13 points in the payoff period while scoring 27 points of their own behind John Arigo and Ali Peek as they dealt Air21 its most lopsided loss since getting clobbered by Talk n Text, 91-109, on Oct. 12 last year.

"I have to cite Ali and John," said Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis, referring to his 1-2 scoring punch, who combined for 49 points. "And I’m not talking about the shots they made. It’s the way they created opportunities for their teammates that got us going."

But it was Coca-Cola’s stifling defense that anchored its runaway victory, particularly in a stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters.

With the game tied at 70-all, the Tigers shut down the Express with their interior defense while uncorking a 7-0 blast to close the third period with a seven-point cushion. With their defense holding, the Tigers sustained the momentum and kept the Express’ gunners out of their comfort zone to complete the romp.

"Our defense showed the way for us. We couldn’t stop Ren Ren (Ritualo) but we succeeded in defending the other guys," Favis said.

The Tigers‘ performance actually proved to be a big surprise since the team was one of the league’s lowest scoring teams in the Fiesta Conference where it averaged just 81.3 points.

"I’m shocked with the score myself," added Favis.

Out to make a big impression after losing in a three-player MVP race won by Red Bull’s Rico Villanueva in the previous conference, Ritualo lit up the board with 29 points, including 14 in the third quarter.

But the Tigers clamped down on defense and virtually silenced the streak-shooting Air21 gunner with just three points in the fourth period — when the outcome was already beyond doubt.

Coca-Cola also had momentum on its side when Wynne Arboleda was sidelined in the final quarter after the Air21 playmaker fell hard and banged his head on the floor after going up to block Arigo’s fastbreak drive.

In the other game, Nic Belasco showed up his former team by exploding for a career-high tying 30 points, powering Alaska Milk to a 103-90 victory over San Miguel.

Brandon Cablay, who was traded for Belasco along with Mark Kong, had only three points, four assists and a steal in 28 minutes, paling in comparison with Belasco, who added eight boards.