Petron Blaze eyes its second straight win on Global Port , Alaska tries to get back on track against Ginebra

Petron Blaze eyes its second straight win against a lowly opponent while Alaska tries to get back on track as the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup resumes on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Boosters battle tail-ender GlobalPort at 4:15 p.m. while the struggling Aces hope to put an end to a three-game losing streak when they take on Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in a 6:30 p.m. encounter.

Petron ended its own slump with a 96-86 win over Rain or Shine and coach Olsen Racela hopes it will lead to a winning streak.

“I hope it’s a start because this will gonna be a crucial stretch for us. Kailangan naming ma-sustain ito,” said Racela, whose team is holding a 4-6 win-loss mark.

They are up against a 1-8 Batang Pier who are in danger of becoming the first team to be booted out of the season-opening conference.

GlobalPort needs to sweep its last five games to have a shot for a spot in the next round.

In the main game, Alaska seeks to put an end to its three-game losing streak against the Kings, who have won two games in a row after dropping five straight.

“Every game is crucial for all teams at this point. It really helps that we won early so we are still in the middle of the standings despite tough losses,” said Aces head coach Luigi Trillo whose team is coming off a 104-103 loss to Air 21.

“Hopefully we get back on track. Ginebra looks like a potent team again.”

Alaska prevailed in their first meeting, 87-69, last October 28 and Gin Kings coach Siot Tanquingcen hopes they can avenge that defeat.

“Though struggling, Alaska is a very tough team to play. They’re 2 to 3 deep in each position,” said Tanquingcen. “We have to take care of the ball better. Last time we played them, we gave up 25 turnover points to them.”

Ginebra is holding a 4-5 win-loss mark.
-interAKTV

alaska aces , barangay ginebra gin kings , globalport batang pier , petron blaze boosters

Air 21 embarrasses powerhouse Petron

Mark Isip and the rest of the Air 21 big men dominated the paint as the Express dealt the Petron Blaze Boosters a beating on Friday, 97-76, at the Araneta Coliseum.

"We were aggressive; we outworked them this time around. We made adjustments. We talked to several players," said Air 21 head coach Franz Pumaren.

The talk must have worked, as Pumaren got great games from his twin towers in Isip and Rob Reyes. Isip tallied 22 big points, 20 of them in the first three quarters, while grabbing seven boards to lead the struggling Express. Reyes chipped in 17 points while Bonbon Custodio and Niño Canaleta added 12 each to spread the scoring for Air 21.

The Express started strong in the first, pouring in 34 points early to Petron's 23. The Boosters managed to cut the lead to six at the end of the first half, 48-42, before Isip and Canaleta re-established a double digit lead yet again, 68-56, early in the third. The hot shooting continued for Pumaren's squad, as John Wilson rattled in an open three while Nelbert Omolon converted on a layup on the break to give Air 21 a 21-point lead to end the third.

In the fourth, consecutive hits in the paint by Reyes and Yousef Taha gave the Express a 25-point lead, 85-60. The Boosters failed to find an answer, while Nonoy Baclao sustained the inside presence for the Express with back to back hits in the final two minutes to seal the deal, 97-76.

Santos led the Boosters with 15, while Chris Lutz and Alex Cabagnot added 13 and 11, respectively. With Danny Ildefonso and Junemar Fajardo sidelined due to injuries, Petron had a lean rotation down low, relying on Dorian Peña and Jay Washington in the paint with only Magi Sison as a substitute.

"The coaching staff scouted pretty well. We maximized mismatches from the beginning," added Pumaren, who had Yousef Taha and Nonoy Baclao along with Isip and Reyes to outplay the Petron big men.

With the win, the Express now improve to 2-5 to tie Barako Bull. Petron is still in sixth place with a 3-4 record, with four teams up top with an identical 4-2 win loss card.


The scores:

AIR 21 97 - Isip 22, Reyes 17, Custodio 12, Canaleta 12, Omolon 11, Baclao 9, Wilson 5, Taha 4, Arboleda 3, Ritualo 2, Atkins 0.

PETRON 76 - Santos 15, Lutz 13, Cabagnot 11, Washington 9, Mallari 6, Yeo 6, Lassiter 5, Lanete 4, Pena 4, Miranda 3, Sison 0, Duncil 0.

Quarters: 34-23, 48-42, 79-58, 97-76

air 21 express , mark isip , petron blaze boosters , rob reyes

Shoulder Injury, Danny Ildefonso out in five months

Danny Ildefonso’s hurting shoulder will need surgery that will require him to sit out five months, adding to the list of the walking wounded frontline of the Petron Blaze Boosters.

Ildefonso hurt his shoulder in Petron’s victory over Ginebra last Sunday.

Petron was already missing rookie center June Mar Fajardo, who underwent surgery to treat a scrotum injury he sustained two weeks ago.

With two slotmen out, Petron coach Olsen Racela is now looking to sign a center to reinforce the squad. The team currently has veteran Dorian Peña and second-year player Magi Sison to man the center spot.

Racela said they are looking at offering a spot to former Meralco and Air 21 center Bryan Faundo.

“He’s the one we’re looking at now,” said Racela. “But we will also look at the free agency.”

danny ildefonso , june mar fajardo , petron blaze boosters