SAN MIGUEL GETS BACK AT GINEBRA, SERIES TIED 1 - 1

Beaten on defense and on rebounding in the series opener, San Miguel Beer turned the tables on Barangay Ginebra Friday, pulling even in the second game of the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference best-of-seven finale at the Araneta Coliseum

The Beermen got back at the Kings, 95-78, in a game with an ugly finish seeing Danny Ildefonso and Marc Pingris attack a heckling fan at the gallery.

The two SMB players are likely to get stiff sanction because of the incident. They're summoned to appear at the PBA office Saturday morning.

"The lesson we got is that we really have to keep our composure whatever the situation is. We can't show any mental weakness. We have to be strong every step of the way. It's a given that they would have the crowd on their side," said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen.

For the Beermen, it's a sorry finish to a splendid showing.

The Beermen fought with limitless energy and enthusiasm, overcoming limited minutes played by import Gabe Freeman because of fouls.

"Basically, we just came out more prepared tonight," said Tanquingcen.

"We're mentally prepared and obviously we're able to defend better. We were badly beaten in rebounding in Game One and that's one concern we made sure to take care of," Tanquingcen added.

The Beermen dominated the boards, cashing in heavily on offensive rebounds.

Freeman came through with 23 points and 17 rebounds though playing in and out after picking a fourth foul early and Jay Washington, Marc Pingris and Dondon Hontiveros had their contributions as the Beermen rebounded strong from a 96-102 defeat Wednesday.

The Beermen established control on a 17-6 attack in the first half and went on to dominate the Kings all the way to the finish.

SMB lorded it over the boards, grabbing 57 rebounds to Ginebra's 40. And even with Freeman on the bench, the Beermen got the rebounds.

Pingris pulled down two offensive rebounds leading to back-to-back three-point plays that sparked an attack, breaking the Kings' back at 90-76.

Jay Washington knocked in three triples and a total of 17 points while Freeman added 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks as the Beermen took the half at 50-44.

As in Game One, Paul Artadi got the Kings to a quick start but the Beermen managed to make the right adjustments early, seizing control in the second period.

The Beermen unravelled a 17-6 run bridging the first two quarters to surge ahead at 25-22.

The two teams figured in a fierce shootout midway through the second period highlighted by an exchange of electrifying slams from David Noel and Freeman.

The Ginebra import drove through the middle and executed a two-handed jam then his SMB counterpart answered with a right-handed throw-down off an alley-oop pass by Mike Cortez. Both plays drew tremendous applause from the crowd.

The Beermen led by 11 at 44-33 but the Kings drew within six at the turn on an 11-6 closing run by Artadi and Ronald Tubid.

Artadi capped his 11-point first-half production with a three-pointer then Tubid scored all of Ginebra's last eight points in the second quarter. (NC)

The scores:

San Miguel 95 -- Freeman 23, Washington 17, Pingris 14, Hontiveros 14, Villanueva 8, Ildefonso 6, Racela 4, Pennisi 4, Pena 3, Cortez 2, Eman 0, Gonzales 0, Calaguio 0.

Ginebra 78 -- Noel 20, Helterbrand 15, Tubid 12, Artadi 11, Baguio 7, Reavis 5, Mamaril 3, Salvacion 3, Menk 2, Lanete 0, Intal 0.

Quarterscores: 20-22, 50-44, 71-64, 95-78

SOURCE: http://www.pba.ph/topstories/san-miguel-gets-back-ginebra-series-tied-1-1

The Story About A Girl... (True Story)

It was way back first year college when I started to commute and travel to Manila by myself. It was indeed a very different feeling compared to my previous life: travelling with my family. Well I guess that's how life goes, besides, I'm already in college.

My college life began as early as 4:00 in the morning. Well, I needed to woke up that early since my class starts at 7:00. Yes, it was quite difficult and very tiring to do it everyday. As I said, that's how life goes.

I only had one hour to prepare: which includes taking a bath, eating breakfast, brushing my teeth, and suiting up for school. Luckily, we really don't have polos and black pants for uniform, a shirt and pants were enough. At 5:00 A.M., I'm ready go.

The skies were really dark. The wind was so cold. I was just like travelling at night. But although it was too early, there were already a lot of fellow commuters, young and old.

By the time I rode the famous Jeepney, all I think was just to have a safe travel and never be late at school. I didn't imagined there were going to be a lot of surprises that awaits me.


Day by day, different people, different faces. But there was, indeed, an exception: a young lady which seems to be a fellow college freshman. Hmm... Why exceptional? The story begins here:

At first, she was just a common fellow commuter which also travels from TMC, Cavite to Lawton, Manila.

Yes, she also studies in Manila, just like me. But she was wearing civilian clothes, that's why I didn't know from what school she was.

But as days passed by, that young lady became a very familiar face. Most of the time, we traveled in the same jeepney and bus. The problem was, I really don't have the guts to introduce myself to her. I felt that time, she already noticed the same thing: I also became a very familiar face.

Two and a half months had gone by, nothing really happened. I still continue to travel alone every morning. But the girl with the familiar face wasn't there anymore. I really blamed myself why I wasn't able to know her. I even wished and prayed to God for me to see her again. But again, that's how life goes.

The End?

Hmm... not really.

It was in second term when I got a first glimpse of a concert at Mapua. But due my very, very far home, I needed to live by 8:00 P.M. I went home with my dad since he went to a place nearby our school.

I even forgot that Ginebra had a game that night. Luckily, the TV in the bus was on and it shows the PBA. The game was finished just before we went off board. I was glad Ginebra won that game.

When we're inside the jeep, I really felt sleepy so I tried to rest and close my eyes for a while. We were already near the town proper, about 2 kilometers away, I heard a very familiar voice.

A voice which I've heard before. I took a glimpse at that person. She really looks familiar, but I wasn't sure if it was really her.

My question was just answered by the time she said, "Para po!" and went out the jeep. It was indeed that girl, the one with the familiar face. She was already wearing their school's uniform - she studies in Letran.

Too bad she already went off board before I realized that it was really her. It was just another opportunity wasted.

Well, there was one thing I've learned: things really happen at the time you don't expect them to... The End...

GINEBRA TAKES GAME 1

Barangay Ginebra jumped out of the starting gate and sustained a searing pace on a massive offense, hacking out a 102-96 win over San Miguel Beer in the opener of the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference finale at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

The Kings converted 40 percent of their shots from the three-point area and outperformed the Beermen on the offensive board to fuel a torrid assault leading to their stirring victory at the start of the race-to-four-game series.

"Naka-swerte. We shot pretty well at the start then our defense worked in the second half. Naka-sagot kami sa opensa ng San Miguel when they started to get streaks," said San Miguel coach Jong Uichico.

"We like that situation na maka-una. Baka hindi kami nakasabay kung sila ang naka start ng malakas," Uichico added.

"We're not mentally prepared to play this game. It's not an excuse. Lahat lang talaga, from the coaches to the players, not prepared mentally," rued San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

"We let them convert 40 percent from the three-point area and get the offensive rebounds when they missed their shots. Our defense shouldn't stop in having them missed their shots. We should only stop when we already get the ball," Tanquingcen added.

Ginebra came out smoking, led by as many as 18 points and fended off a San Miguel rally at the finish with top gun Jayjay Helterbrand and five other Kings playing key roles.

Helterbrand and Paul Artadi got the team to a big start then Sunday Salvacion, Cyrus Baguio and David Noel took over to sustain the pace before Ronald Tubid had his key contributions helping hold off the SMB chase.

"We're still in the drawing board. It so happened that what we talked about and what we planned works in this game," said Uichico.

"We like this situation, winning Game One. But a first game is just a first game. It takes four games to win and we know the talent of San Miguel. They can be so overpowering that we really need to exert extra effort," Uichico added.

Helterbrand led all scorers with 21 points and added seven assists and six rebounds in a sterling performance in 38 minutes of action.

Baguio, Tubid, Artadi and Noel also scored in double figures for the Kings who surprisingly dominated the favored Beermen, leading by as big as 18 at 81-63.

The Beermen came threateningly close in the homestretch but the Kings stayed intact, holding SMB at bay on clutch shots by Tubid at the finish. Tubid fired seven of his 14 points in the last 32 seconds.

The Kings took an early double-digit spread at 19-9 and led by 17 at 53-36 before settling for a 53-41 spread at the half.

Helterbrand and Artadi started strong with the former going 4-of-7 from the three-point area and totaling 19 points in the first half and the latter knocking in three triples and a total of 11 points in the first five minutes of the contest.

With Gabe Freeman and Jay Washington hitting their strides, the Beermen came within two at 24-26 only to see the Kings make another decisive attack to rip the game apart at 53-36 with 1:54 left in the second quarter.

Helterbrand converted three of four three-point tries in the second period, the last capping the big blast that gave them the 17-point margin.

The Beermen made it a more manageable deficit as they scored seven unanswered points the rest of the first half. (NC)

The scores:

Ginebra 102 -- Helterbrand 21, Baguio 17, Tubid 14, Artadi 13, Noel 13, Salvacion 9, Lanete 5, Mamaril 4, Intal 2, Menk 2, Reavis 2.

San Miguel 96 -- Washington 19, Villanueva 18, Freeman 16, Cortez 12, Hontivoeros 11, Racela 7, Ilderfopnso 4, Pena 4, Pennisi 3, Pingris 2.

Quarterscores: 26-22, 53-41, 81-65, 102-96

SOURCE: http://www.pba.ph/topstories/ginebra-takes-game-1