Sealers alone at the top

Henkel-Sista played big at crunch time and stopped TeleTech, 77-69, to grab the solo lead in the 2007 PBL Silver Cup at the Olivarez Sports Center yesterday.

Marcy Arellano and Kelvin Gregorio once again stood out for Henkel-Sista as the Super Sealers bolted out of a three-way tie in the lead with the Hapee-PCU Teeth Sparklers and the Mail & More Comets on their sixth win in eight outings.

In the second game, Toyota Otis stunned Magnolia Ice Cream, 90-81, to draw level with TeleTech at 4-3.

Magnolia has yet to gain its bearing following the departure of stars Kelly Williams, Arwind Santos and Mark Isip to the pros.

Gregorio topscored for the Super Sealers with 19 points, including seven in the payoff period where they tallied 29 points.

The Titans, who led most of the way, produced only 20 points in the final canto as the Super Sealers toughened up on defense.

Marvin Cruz, the talented guard from University of the Philippines, starred for the Sparks’ big win as he tallied 20 points, including nine in a mighty fourth quarter assault.

Dennis Daa and the vastly improving Erick Rodriguez also helped Toyota Otis’ cause as they combined for 32 points aside from their gritty defensive efforts.

"Our supporting unit delivered a lot, like Gregorio, not only in offense, but also on defense. They stepped up big time," said Henkel-Sista coach Caloy Garcia.

With Arellano and Gregorio joining hands, the Super Sealers unloaded a telling 10-0 bomb that gave them a decisive 63-54 lead.

The Super Sealers were never in trouble after that as they played more aggressively on both ends of the court to assure themselves of a fat Christmas bonus.

Ex-pro Gilbert Malabanan also had an impressive game for the Sealers as he finished with 14 markers and 10 rebounds.

"It’s a good win for us as the league takes a break. It feels good knowing that we’re on top right now. But we still have to work hard. We expect the competition to be tougher when the league resumes," said Garcia.