Furious Express protest Beermen win

Air21 has formally put under protest the result of its game against San Miguel Beer Wednesday night, sending the protest letter and the corresponding P20,000 bond in the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City before the 12 noon deadline yesterday.

Team manager Lito Alvarez and coach Bo Perasol said the least they deserve is a replay of the game after they lost a won game on an oversight by the referees and possible lapse in judgment by the technical officials.

PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios has five days to study the matter before making the decision.

The Beermen leaned on clutch baskets by Lordy Tugade and Dorian Peña in the second overtime to survive the Express, 130-129, in the controversial contest.

The Express should have won the game in first overtime if not for the referees ruling the three-point shot of Ranidel de Ocampo in the closing seconds a mere two-pointer that paved the way for the second extra period at 122-all.

Ramil Cruz, the PBA supervisor of officials, admitted the lapse but said game procedures in the last two minutes of the contest didn’t allow them to rectify the error. He said Air21 should have challenged the call for them to stop the game and review the video of the contested shot.

“I was not able to challenge the shot right there and then because there was no dead ball situation. I did challenge it before the second overtime. I told referee Mario Montiel that I am putting a challenge and they can charge us a timeout if it’s really a two-point shot. He told me that his decision was that it was a two-point shot,” said Perasol.

Barrios said he’ll review the procedure for possible improvement. And hinted at severe sanction on the referees that worked the game.

“It’s very unfortunate. It had been a very exciting, well-officiated game until that (lapse in the dying seconds of the first overtime),” said Barrios.

Practically the entire Air21 team confronted the technical officials after the final buzzer in violation of another league rule.

Perasol, assistant coach Leo Isaac and players Wynne Arboleda, Arwind Santos, Adonis Sta. Maria, Marvin Cruz, Niño Canaleta, Ranidel de Ocampo and Gary David are likely to be fined for the misconduct. They’re summoned to appear at the PBA office today.

From the locker room, the Air21 players had actually approached the commissioner in his seat for a dialogue. The commissioner told them to wait for the halftime of the Ginebra-Rain or Shine game but the Air21 team manager prevailed upon his players to leave.