Trick or treat?

Welcoat coach Leo Austria couldn’t figure out if it was a trick or a treat that Ali Peek showed up in street clothes for the Dragons’ game against Coca-Cola in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) at the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday.

Peek is the Tigers’ leading rebounder, starting center and No. 1 offensive option at the post. Without Peek in the lineup, Coca-Cola looked like putty in Welcoat’s hands. Tigers coach Binky Favis started overweight rookie Michael Gavino in Peek’s place and activated Manny Ramos as back-up. Neither Gavino nor Ramos was touted to be a match for Welcoat’s Jay-R Reyes, averaging 12.3 points and 9.2 rebounds.

Peek, hampered by a swollen left knee, wasn’t the only Tiger out of commission. William Antonio sat out his second straight game with a groin strain and Neil Raneses was cleared to take a leave of absence by Favis to attend to his wife Vanessa, struck down by dengue.

Austria had to like his chances. Man for man, Welcoat brandished a healthier lineup. Besides, Welcoat beat Coca-Cola, 85-75, in their first meeting last Oct. 8 so a repeat wasn’t unlikely.

Sure enough, Welcoat set the pace for three quarters until Coca-Cola stepped on the gas in the fourth period.

Welcoat failed to capitalize on its size advantage and was outrebounded by the smaller Tigers, 59-45, as the Dragons repeatedly tried to score from outside when they should’ve attacked the interior instead. With Welcoat’s big men setting screens for outside gunners, they were often out of position for rebounds, allowing Coca-Cola to control the boards. Jun-Jun Cabatu scored on a few post-up moves but he, too, preferred to launch from way out — for good reason as he knocked down 3-of-3 triples.

As a result, Welcoat shot only .374 from the floor compared to .456 for Coca-Cola which scored more fastbreak points, 13-3. Transition baskets are generally layups or high percentage shots.

It was certainly no trick for Favis to sit down Peek and definitely no treat for Austria who somehow couldn’t adjust to his absence.

Halloween came a few days early for Welcoat and the loss left a haunting memory that Austria will no doubt brood over on the Day of the Dead tomorrow.

Favis played his cards masterfully to steal the win from Welcoat — like a thief in the night — with Allan Salangsang and Chris Pacana combining forces to deliver 23 of Coca-Cola’s 34 points in the fourth period. Salangsang finished with a career-high 21 points while Pacana tallied a career-high 18, 14 in the last quarter.

Still, Welcoat had nothing to be ashamed of. The Dragons fought bravely until the end and will get better, learning from their rookie year mistakes. Chemistry is something Welcoat continues to work on and it won’t come in a snap, considering Austria is employing a cast of five rookies (including Froilan Baguio who was undrafted last year), three pick-ups from the expansion draft (Rob Wainwright, Denver Lopez, Gilbert Lao) and a crew of free agents (Jojo Tangkay, Nino Gelig, Adonis Sta. Maria, Joey Mente).

Austria can be proud of the fact that Cabatu and Reyes are leading candidates for Rookie of the Year honors and Tangkay, who played only 14 games in two seasons for Sta. Lucia and Talk ’N’ Text before leaving the PBA in 2002, is a shoo-in for the Comeback Player of the Year award.

Before the conference is over, Welcoat should pull a few more surprises. The Dragons have already upset San Miguel Beer and their last two losses could’ve gone either way as Welcoat bowed to Red Bull by three and to Coca-Cola by six.

Welcoat might just emerge from its pre-Halloween nightmare to shake up the league like no other new kid on the block has done before. Austria will be knocking on every team’s door with a scary proposition — trick or treat?