SLR 72, Whoopers 120

There must still be a bit of a SEABA hangover for coach Yeng Guiao.

This showed in the way his Burger King team pounced on a hapless Sta. Lucia Realty crew last 14 June 2009, much like the way his Powerade-Team Pilipinas squad did in Medan, Indonesia where the Nationals ran roughshod over the opposition by winning by an average of 36 points.

He, however, declined to make any comparison.

"Madalang mangyari yan dito (PBA)," pointed out the mentor after his Whoppers fired on all cylinders against the severely undermanned Realtors for a lopsided 120-72 win and advance to the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference semifinals at the Araneta Coliseum.

So one-sided was the game that Guiao had the luxury of resting his main men in the fourth quarter, utilizing his second- and even third-stringers to do the mopping-up operations.

Later, Guiao said he never figured wrapping up the best-of-three quarterfinals via a 2-1 count would be as easy.

"Nobody expected us to win this way," said Guiao after the one-sided game that set up Burger King for a confrontation with early qualifier and playoffs top seed San Miguel Beer in a best-of-seven semis duel set to start Wednesday.

"The key was we had a good start," Guiao added. "Our starters did a good job of setting the tone, and those guys coming off the bench just picked it up from there."

The game also set new franchise records for the two protagonists. It was the Bert Lina-owned team's most lopsided win since, as Air21, it fashioned a 124-90 drubbing of Barangay Ginebra in Game 2 of last year's Finals.

The defeat was also Sta. Lucia's worst, far eclipsing its 79-114 thrashing received from a Guiao-coached Red Bull squad in the 2007 edition of the same tournament.

The 48-point winning margin was also the league's biggest since Alaska defeated Tanduay 119-71 in the battle for third in the 2000 Commissioner's Cup.

Gary David led Burger King with 19 points with RP team member Arwind Santos finishing with 15 and eight rebounds. Three others wound up with 12 points each while three others had at least seven, making up for Shawn Daniels' four-point outing.

The biggest blow for Sta. Lucia was the sidelining of Ryan Reyes due to a pulled hamstring he suffered in the SEABA tourney. The Realtors have already lost Kelly Williams for the season due to a rare blood disorder.

"Our biggest break was Ryan and Kelly not being able to play. It would have been different if Ryan and Kelly were playing," said Guiao, who also stated his coaching staff did a fine job of honing the team while he and chief assistant Roehl Nadurata were with the Nationals.

"They did a good job of keeping our guys sharp while we were away," he said.

Anthony Johnson had a game-high 30 points and 20 rebounds and Joseph Yeo 17 points, but no other Realtor scored in double figures.

In a game it had to win following an 81-94 loss in Game 2 last June 3, Sta. Lucia finished with a woeful 28-for-92 shooting from the field for 30.4 percent, a far cry from the same team that has shot no poorer than 37.7 percent in its previous games. It now owns the conference's worst field shooting, edging Purefoods' 31.5 percent which the Giants recorded in an 82-78 win over Burger King last April 15.

Daniels went into the game averaging a little over 14 points a game but only went 1-of-4 from the field in the first half. Guiao couldn't care less as the bulky import busied himself with other matters, like rebounding (six) and blocking shots (two). He ultimately wound up with 12 boards, five assists, three blocked shots and two steals in just 30 minutes of action.

David and the likes of rookie Erick Rodriguez and Santos took charge in leading the Burger King offense that gave them as much as a 54-30 second quarter lead and pointed the Whoppers into the rout with a 56-33 halftime spread.

Sta. Lucia dug itself the deep hole from the opening minutes by missing its first five shots from the field. Johnson broke the ice with a layup at the 9:57 mark, but the Realtors missed their next four shots and also had four turnovers that led to a 2-16 deficit and a 17-33 bind after the first period.

Johnson and Yeo were the only bright spots for Sta. Lucia in the first half with 17 and 11, respectively, but the entire team shot just 13-for-41 from the field compared to Burger King's 25-for-49 anchored on a sizzling 14-for-24 first quarter.

That trend continued in the third as Sta. Lucia missed 17 of 24 shots, enabling the Whoppers to pad their lead to 80-51 before going into the final quarter with an 80-53 cushion its bench players would continue padding on to.

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SLR 81, Whoopers 94

This Burger King team just won't roll over and die.

Facing the specter of elimination, the Whoppers fought with dogged determination and smothered the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 94-81, to force a sudden death in their Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference quarterfinals showdown at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

"We wanted this really badly. We felt after the Game One loss that we had no one to blame but ourselves. We had two good practice sessions and the adjustment we made was what was needed to win this game," said BK coach Yeng Guiao.

"The guys coming off the bench played really well. They played like veterans. I think these are under-rated players who can make a difference. And they proved it tonight," Guiao also said, referring in particular to Mark Yee.

Egay Billones and Yee combined for 36 points coming off the bench as the Whoppers got back at the Realtors to keep their bid for a return stint in the Fiesta Conference finale.

For Guiao and BK main man Arwind Santos, the victory meant they still have a season to play upon their return from the SEABA championship in Medan, Indonesia.

The tourney takes another break to give way to the RP team's participation in the SEABA joust. It resumes on June 14 with a double-knockout among the four quarterfinalists -- BK versus Sta. Lucia and Rain or Shine against Purefoods.

"The team is going to have a few days of rest before returning to regular practice. Our coaching staff is very capable of conducting practices in my absence. I have no reservation about them taking over while I'm gone," said Guiao.

"I prefer to play sooner but we have a mission to accomplish in Indonesia. I think Game Three next week will be more difficult. They will come more prepared and so we are," Guiao added.

In Game Two, the Whoppers played with greater resolve, taking the first quarter at 20-17 then held sway up to the finish.

Billones, Yee and Aaron Aban churned out sterling games, giving Guiao the luxury of closing out the game with regular first-stringers Santos, Gary David and Wynne Arboleda sitting on the bench.

Billones went 3-of-3 from the three-point area, 3-of-3 from the two-point zone and 4-of-6 from the stripe, Yee added two triples and a total of 17 points while Aban shared nine points and two rebounds.

After falling behind by 15 in the third, the Realtors kept on coming back but the Whoppers would hung tough.

Shawn Daniels scored only 12 but pulled down 24 rebounds and issued eight assists in a tough stand against Anthony Johnson who got 21 points and the same number of assists.

With a steadier shooting and minimal turnovers, the Whoppers enjoyed a 12-point cushion, 46-34, at halftime.

Burger King converted 44.2 percent of its shots in the first half with Yee and Billones going perfect for a combined output of 14 points. Sta. Lucia, on the other hand, struggled with a 28.6 percent clip.

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SLR 93, Whoopers 84

Sta. Lucia Realty import Anthony Johnson shrugged off the pains of an injured groin to score 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, enabling the Realtors to notch a 93-84 victory over the Burger King Whoppers at the start of the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference quarterfinals at the Araneta Coliseum last 31 May 2009.

Norman Gonzales also played a major role with eight of his 17 points in the final canto, but it was Johnson's splendid job down the stretch that spelled the biggest difference as Sta. Lucia took what could be a decisive head-start in their best-of-three duel.

"I really appreciate his efforts tonight," said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez of Johnson, who strained a groin muscle in the first quarter and was seemingly headed for a listless game because of it.

In the end, however, Johnson still wound up with a game-high 24 rebounds and five blocked shots, the third time in the tournament he swatted away so many.

Unlike Sta. Lucia, which had to go through the knockout wildcard against Coca-Cola last Friday just to get to the quarters, Burger King was well-rested after making it outright by virtue of a No. 4 seeding after the classification round. Johnson had 42 points and 24 rebounds in that 94-88 win.

The defense and intensity they displayed in that game seemed to have spilled over for the Realtors and the Whoppers could not really match it, although the latter did manage to whittle what was once a 13-point deficit to just 69-71, still 10:35 to go in the game.

Shawn Daniels finished with his 12th double and a second straight 20-20 game with 22 points and 20 rebounds, while Arwind Santos, Gary David and Mark Yee had at least 10 points each for a Burger King team Fernandez knows will go all-out for an equalizer in Game 2 on Wednesday.

"I know (Whoppers) coach Yeng (Guiao). He'll try some other game-plans against us, but we'll be ready," said Fernandez.

"We just won one and we have to win two," he added. "So we'll be happy tonight, but it's back to the drawing boards tomorrow and prepare again for Wednesday."

The things Sta. Lucia mainly prepared for, like Burger King's conference-best transition offense, fastbreaks and rebounding, were splendidly taken cared of. The Realtors had more rebounds (57-50), fastbreak points (19-12) and points off turnovers (19-8).

Burger King was actually held to its second-lowest output in the conference, next only to an 82-78 loss to Purefoods last April 15.

Burger King started out strong, but failed to finish in the same manner. It led 10-2 early in the first quarter before Sta. Lucia uncorked a 23-2 blast to close the opening period, claiming a 23-12 advantage.

Still, Sta. Lucia could not really put away the Whoppers despite grabbing the lead for good through one gigantic run ending the first period and posting a 42-29 spread in the last 4:08 of the second quarter. That is, before Johnson took over.

Four points by Yee, and a Wynne Arboleda twinner brought the Whoppers threateningly closest at 69-71, before two monstrous dunks by Johnson spiked a 9-0 run that made it an 11-point game.

Charities by Arboleda and David brought Burger King within 84-88, but Johnson had a charity and a shotclock-beating, step-back jumper in Sta. Lucia's windup that spelled the final difference.

Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino also alternated on a single-coverage on the hefty Daniels everytime he made a post move, forcing Burger King to take outside shots that more often than not failed to find their mark in the early goings.

Ryan Reyes and Gonzales, meanwhile, took turns in leading the Realtors' offense, resulting in several surges that staked them to as much as a 42-29 spread and into a 45-37 halftime lead.

That trend was first displayed in the last seven minutes of the first quarter, when Sta. Lucia unleashed a 21-2 run that plucked it out of a 2-10 bind and into a 23-12 bulge.

Johnson scored all his six first quarter points in that stretch with Christian Coronel adding five and Aquino four.

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SLR 94, Coke 88

With their playoff aspirations in doubt, Anthony Johnson took charge and saved the Sta. Lucia Realtors from the brink of elimination.

Johnson was almost a one-man wrecking crew in the final five minutes, scoring 10 of his team’s last 16 points in that stretch while containing counterpart James Penny on the defensive end as the Realtors subdued the hardluck Coca-Cola Tigers, 94-88, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum on 29 May 2009.

"The players worked on our gameplan to the letter. And what can I say with AJ? He’s the league’s best import for me," offered Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez.

A three-pointer by Ronjay Buenafe kept the Tigers threateningly close at 77-78 with still 5:48 remaining but Johnson answered with a quick layup on the next play then scored on a follow-up to stretch Sta. Lucia’s lead to five points.

A dunked by Penny and a reverse shot by Asi Taulava pulled Coke to 81-82. After a timeout, Johnson scored on an alleyhoop dunk and Ryan Reyes knocked in a huge three to sandwhich a basket by Taulava and give the Realtors an 87-83 lead that stood comfortably the rest of the way.

The night before the game, Fernandez said Johnson told him and team manager Buddy Encarnado that he wouldn’t to go home yet and “promised that he would see us in practice on Saturday.”

That Johnson was determined to win showed in his game.

After a seven-point first quarter, the prolific Sta. Lucia import scored in double digits in each of the next three quarters and went on to lead all scorers with 42 points – his second best output this conference -- on a 16-for-22 shooting, including 3-for-3 from the trifecta zone.

He also had grabbed a conference-high 24 rebounds that also went down as his career best in the league and second-most this season, next only to a 25 Asi Taulava recorded in the Philippine Cup.

Reyes scored 16 points that went with his four assists and two steals and Nelbert Omolon added 11 and eight rebounds for the Realtors, who were without Kelly Williams, diagnosed with a blood disorder that forced him to miss the team’s last six games.

The win was only the second for Sta. Lucia in the six games without Williams.

Penny led Coke with 33 points, including a basket with under four minutes left in the third quarter that gave the Tigers a 63-56 lead.

Buenafe contributed 15 points, the same output of Taulava, who also cornered 11 boards for the Tigers, who challenged the Realtors through five deadlocks and 14 lead changes before slowing down in the end.

Sta. Lucia took the lead for good by closing the third quarter with a 12-0 run including seven straight points from Johnson.

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SLR 90, SMB 92

Even after long being assured of an automatic semifinals slot, there is still no letting up for San Miguel Beer.

Not with Christopher Williams coming in and lifting the Beermen to a 92-90 cliffhanger of a win over the Sta. Lucia Realtors Sunday (17 May 2009) in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The man who planed in only Saturday evening came up with two big shots down the stretch to give SMB the win that c oach Siot Tanquingcen said serves more than just garnish for their campaign in the season-ending tournament.

Tanquingcen bared the initial plan was for Williams to temporarily replace the fever-stricken Gabe Freeman. "Pahinga muna siya (Freeman)," he said. "Hopefully, by the semis okay na siya."

The fact Williams wound up with a teamhigh 19 points and eight rebounds despite just one shootaround and a hasty walkthrough to the SMB system also impressed Tanquingcen, making him see if Williams can do more in the tougher battles ahead.

“We're just making sure we study all our options,”said Tanquingcen after the win that improved their league-leading win-loss record to 11-2.

The loss that dropped it to 7-7 relegated SLR to the knockout pairings in the ensuing wildcard phase, along with Purefoods that also wound up the classification round with the same card.

It was not only Freeman who was out for SMB. Jay Washington was suffering from back spasms and Dorian Pena is set to undergo X-rays for a suspected back injury.

Sta. Lucia still was not able to take advantage, although Anthony Johnson tried hard with 29 points and 14 rebounds and Joseph Yeo had 22 points.

All because of Williams, whose hook tied the game for the last time at 90 and his drive gave the Beermen a two-point lead in the last 5.5 seconds.

Following a timeout, the Realtors tried to at least tie the game, but a play designed primarily for a Johnson drive went awry against Wesley Gonzales' leech-like defense, and he was forced to take a harried jumper that hit only the back rim before the final buzzer.

Johnson already had 15 points at the half but did little scoring in the third quarter, leaving that chore chiefly on the shoulders of Yeo, who scattered 11 points, including six straight that gave SLR a 68-67 edge going into the final canto.

That reversal of fortune seemed a very distant possibility from the way SMB surged to as much as a 56-43 lead behind a 12-0 run. That surge was started and capped by triples from Bonbon Custodio and Mick Pennisi.

Williams had eight points and five rebounds in the first half alone, but it was Mike Cortez coming back from a knee injury and seeing action in only his first game of the season that stirred SMB the most, helping the team to a big second quarter charge from a 16-21 deficit.

Cortez capped a seven-point period with a triple that made it 41-32 count, but his foul on Johnson following Bitoy Omolon's trey and a Beermen turnover led to three free throws that put the Realtors within a very manageable 38-41 at the half.

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SLR 104, PF 95

Sta. Lucia Realty outplayed Purefoods Tender Juicy in the second half and scored a 104-95 victory to wheel back into contention for at least a Top Four finish in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference classification round at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig last 14 May 2009.

The Realtors built momentum in the third quarter and sustained the surge to the finish to end a three-game slide and force a four-way logjam at fourth with the Giants, the Burger King Whoppers and the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters.

With identical 7-6 win-loss cards, all four teams need to win their final assignment to get a possible playoff crack at an outright semifinal berth or a place in the Top Four which will mean a twice-to-beat advantage in the wildcard phase.

Burger King and Purefoods have each other as final assignments Sunday, the same day Sta. Lucia closes its preliminary-round stint versus San Miguel Beer. Talk ‘N Text has Alaska Milk as its last game.

The Sta. Lucia win actually handed idle San Miguel Beer the first outright semifinal berth as the Beermen, even if they lose their last three games, will still automatically be the No. 1 team in the event of a three-way tie for first place at 9-5 with Barangay GInebra and Rain or Shine because of a more superior PBA quotient and the Kings and the Elasto Painters figuring in a playoff for the second outright semifinal berth.

A loss by Rain or Shine or Barangay Ginebra in any of their last games will also make the Beermen's nine wins enough for a Top 2 finish at the end of the classification round.

Behind the hot hands of Anthony Johnson, Joseph Yeo and Dennis Espino, the Realtors opened a 15-point bulge at 86-71 and went on to get back at the Giants who dealt them a sorry 91-93 defeat in their previous tiff.

Johnson, Yeo and Espino all finished with at least 17 points with the returning Bitoy Omolon adding 16 and Denok Miranda 13.

Omolon missed their last three games due to chicken pox.

Sta. Lucia continued to miss the services of Kelly Williams but the Realtors got back on track with steady shooting.

The Realtors posted its first double-digit spread in the game at 77-67 while converting 56 percent (9-of-16) of their shots in the third quarter as against the Giants' 24-percent (7-of-29) clip.

Espino, Yeo and Johnson came through with a 9-3 run to close the quarter where Kerby Raymundo picked a fourth foul and later drew a technical infraction for continuous complaining.

Fouling out with 1:02 left to play, Raymundo took off his jersey while walking off the floor disappointed.

Marquin Chandler and James Yap led Purefoods with 14 and 12, respectively, while Johnson and Yeo had 13 apiece for Sta. Lucia as the two teams figured in a duel of runs in the first half ending in favor of the Giants at 47-46.

SLR led by three after the first quarter and opened the next period with a 6-2 binge for a 28-21 lead but Chandler and Yap teamed up in a fierce counterattack pushing Purefoods ahead at 47-43.

The Realtors made it a one-point game at halftime on a three-pointer by Ryan Reyes.

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SLR 98, Ginebra 101

Barangay Ginebra blew a 14-point lead in the third quarter but kept its poise when the going got tough to beat the undermanned but spirited Sta. Lucia Realtors,101-98, in a crucial game Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

After a brief rest late in the third canto, David Noel returned to start the fourth and quickly scored five straight points that broke a 79-79 count and touched off a 10-0 run.

JC Intal also played a key role in that fourth quarter salvo. He made a steal and had two blocks – all against Sta. Lucia veteran center Marlou Aquino – to set off that telling spurt as the Kings regained momentum.

Noel scored 23 points to lead five other Kings in double digits. He also had 12 rebounds, three assists and five steals in 44 minutes.

“We blew away a huge lead but to be able to survive a game like that builds our character,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico afterwards.

It was the fifth straight win and sixth overall in 11 games for the Kings, who gained ground in their bid for an outright passage in the semifinals of the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

Currently tied for third and fourth place with Burger King, the defending champions could move into a tie for second place if it beats Purefoods on Sunday.

Ginebra appeared to have the game well under control when they built a 61-47 advantage early in the third. But the Realtors, undermanned with the absence of Kelly Williams (blood disorder) and Bitoy Omolon (chicken pox), made a run when the Kings’ offense went cold to make the game exciting.

The Realtors picked up their third straight defeat and fell to an even 6-6 slate.

Jayjay Helterbrand scored 19 points and had six assists, Chico Lanete had 15 markers, Ronald Tubid added 12 and Intal and Billy Mamaril contributed 10 apiece for the Kings, who enjoyed a 15-7 advantage on fastbreak points and netted 21 points on 19 Sta. Lucia turnovers.

Ryan Reyes showed the way for the Realtors with 21 points. Import Anthony Johnson turned in 20 points and 19 boards but missed three 3-point attempts in the closing seconds that could have sent the game into overtime.

After four deadlocks and six lead changes, the Kings put together a 14-2 run spanning four minutes that separated them from the Realtors.

Before that run, the defending champs were just two up, 33-31. Lanete had six points and Noel four in that spurt that stretched the lead to 47-33 on a layup by Lanete with 2:47 to play in the second. GInebra led 54-43 at halftime.

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SLR 79, Coke 88

Coca-Cola knew it had the advantage over undermanned Sta. Lucia Realty last 6 May 2009 in the PBA Motolite Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Tigers also knew they would be in for one big fight and got exactly that before carving out an 88-79 victory that boosted them out of a dreaded slot.

It did not come easy and assistant coach Bo Perasol, subbing for head coach kenneth Duremdes who is still suffering from sore eyes, said they key was his charges utilizing their own advantages than dwelling on the other team's weakness.

“We didn't think about the missing guys of Sta. Lucia,” Perasol stated. “We tried to emphasize our own strengths,” he said.

Asi Taulava wound up with 24 points and 20 rebounds for his first 20-20 game of the season. James Penny added 21 and 14, with nine of his points coming in the fourth period.

Coke's followup to its 120-106 conquest of Barako Bull last Sunday marked the first time in the conference the Tigers posted back-to-back wins. They have not achieved the feat in 17 games dating back to the Philippine Cup.

More important, Coke moved up to eighth-running spot, taking over from 4-7 Alaska. The last two teams after te 14-game eliminations face twice-to-win handicaps in the playoffs.

“Our battlecry was to fight for the slot we wanted, which is very modest, eighth or seventh spot,” related Perasol. “Right now we are at No. 8 and if we win over Talk N Text (on Saturday in Bohol), we will also overtake them. It's the positioning we're trying to accomplish right now.”

The Realtors put up a gallant fight despite missing the services of Kelly Williams (blood disorder), Bitoy Omolon (chicken pox) and Ryan Reyes (stiff neck). But in the end, they still absorbed their third loss in their last four games and dropped to 6-5.

But not after battling back from 29-46 deficit and making it more interesting by clawing back to within four points twice, the last at 66-70.

The Realtors actually were still within 76-82, following back-to-back triples by Christian Coronel and a followup by Johnson, 3:10 left.

Then James Penny sank a charity, Mark Macapagal scored on a fastbreak and Asi Taulava surprisingly drained a triple to put it away, the final score being pegged by a long 3 by Joseph Yeo.

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SLR 91, PF 93

Kerby Raymundo scored 20 points and had 12 rebounds and James Yap added 17 including the go ahead 3-point play that propelled the Purefoods TJ Giants to a 93-91 victory past the Sta. Lucia Realtors 01 May 2009 at the Araneta Coliseum.

In a game that turned exciting in the fourth quarter and with imports of both teams fouling out in the finals two minutes, defense became the key for the Giants, who fell behind by 14 points late in the third quarter.

"We just played basketball in the fourth quarter. We were too complacent knowing that (Kelly) Williams and (Nelbert) Omolon were out for tonight’s game. We played with fire and we almost got burned. Good thing James (Yap) hit that fastbreak," said Purefoods Ryan Gregorio of the decisive play that gave the Giants the momentum.

The Realtors held an 88-84 lead with 3:07 remaining but went scoreless in the next three minutes.

During that span, Rico Villanueva and Raymundo scored three free throws between them before keying the decisive play that turned their fortunes around.

The play started with Villanueva knocking the ball from behind Dennis Espino and Raymundo picking up the loose ball and kicking it to James Yap, who quickly rushed downcourt and scored over Marlou Aquino and got fouled by the latter. James knocked the bonus free throw to give Purefoods a 90-88 lead with 16.8 seconds left.

It was the second straight victory for the Giants since Marquin Chandler (11 points) replaced Jahmar Thorpe. They improved to 6-4 (win-loss) record tying the Realtors at second spot behind unbeaten leader San Miguel Beer (8-0).

The Giants played catch up for most part of the game and their hope for a victory appeared bleak when Chandler fouled out with a little over two minutes left.

"Obviously Marquin didn’t have the legs tonight after playing 45 minutes in his debut Wednesday. But James and Kerby lifted the spirits of their teammates," Gregorio said.

Peter Jun Simon and Roger Yap scored 13 points apiece for the Giants, who played their second game in three days.

The Realtors posted the game’s biggest lead at 70-56 on a 3-pointer by Ryan Reyes with 3:51 left but their offense went sour the rest of the way and the fouling out of Anthony Johnson with 1:37 to play made matters worse.

Johnson led all scorers with 26 points while Reyes and Espino added 14 each for the Realtors, who only shot 4 of 14 (28 percent) from the field in the fourth and committed four turnovers, two by Espino.

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SLR 98, Bull 88

Anthony Johnson had PBA career-high numbers -- 43 points and 21 rebounds -- as Sta. Lucia Realty defeated Barako Bull in their initial tiff in the tourney 100-91 last March 13.

Johnson didn't need to muster the same effort for the Realtors to repeat versus the Energy Boosters.

The Realtors pulled one big game together as they kept their mastery of the Energy Boosters, fashioning out a 98-88 victory to firm up their hold of second place in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Ynares Sports Center here Sunday night (19 April 2009).

So dominant were the Realtors that they gave coach Boyet Fernandez the luxury of using third-string players Dennis Daa, Chito Jaime and Melvin Mamaclay.

The Realtors played with so much firepower, leading by as many as 20 points before eventually notching a sixth win against three losses.

Anthony Johnson came through with 29 points and 19 rebounds with Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes, Nelbert Omolon and Joseph Yeo adding at least 12 points each as the Realtors repeated over Energy Boosters to make it 4-0 in their head-on duels this season.

"We're at second place, but to be honest, I'm not yet thinking of (finishing in) the top two. We have tough assignments ahead. We'll take it one game at a time," said Fernandez.

Sta. Lucia's last five games are Purefoods (twice), Coca-Cola, San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra.

"Hindi biro-biro ang last five games namin. I'm thankful we're taking another long break before getting back into action, playing Purefoods on May 1," said Fernandez.

Sustaining the momentum of their second-half efforts against Talk ‘N Text Wednesday, the Realtors established control early against the Energy Boosters and practically ran a show in dominating the final 24 minutes of play.

Johnson and Williams showcased highlight plays on good passes by Reyes.

Curiously, Johnson showed up the player -- Jeff Varem -- who replaced him as Coca-Cola import in the same tourney in 2007.

Varem was good for only 24 points and 12 rebounds as Barako Bull suffered a seventh loss in nine outings.

The Realtors established control early with an aggressive game, driving hard to the basket to draw more fouls and get more trips to the line.

Sta. Lucia outscored Barako Bull, 12-3, on free throws in the opening half which in its favor at 50-37.

Reyes and Johnson combined for 23 points in the first two quarters with Nelbert Omolon adding nine points coming off the bench.

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SLR 91, TnT 97

In a win which head coach Chot Reyes said they could have also lost, Talk ‘N Text allowed Sta. Lucia Realty with 61 points and 16 fastbreak points in the second half, then barely hung on for a 97-91 victory Wednesday (15 April 2009) night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Mac-Mac Cardona scored 19 points and his three-point shot with 3:49 remaining was the team’s only field goal in the last 4:30 minutes. He followed it with a two free throws to cushion Sta. Lucia’s fiery charge that pulled the Realtors to within five points with still plenty to play.

"It’s one of those games when a win feels like a loss. They say a win is a win but this one win I think is a loss," said Reyes, who watched his team blow another comfortable lead for the third straight game.

“We held them to 30 points in the first half but we gave up 61 points in the second half. We just can’t seem to find that consistency and the killer instinct to put people away and that’s really a problem that we have to address."

Tiras Wade led all scorers with 26 points but shot just 3-of-13 in the second half, typifying exactly how TNT’s offense went in the last 24 minutes.

But at least Talk 'N Text, which had a 0-2 start in the conference, nailed its second straight win and fourth in seven games that enabled them to gain ground in the standings in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

It was the first time the Tropang Texters went above 0.500 in the tournament.

"I’m proud that we hang in there and played tough despite without our two big men (Yancy de Ocampo and Rob Reyes who both suffered injuries during the break). But again it’s hard to be happy when you squander a 34 point lead."

"Hopefully, we learn from it and find that nice balance in between. There are times when we look good out there and there are times when we look so horrible. At least we have more good looks than bad looks," Reyes said.

Anthony Johnson scored 18 points but went scoreless in the fourth, spending more time on the bench due to cramps. Joseph Yeo added 16 and his basket and a free throw with a little over two minutes to go shoved Sta. Lucia to within 87-92. But the Realtors never got any closer the rest of the way.

The loss snapped Sta. Lucia’s two-game streak although the Realtors stayed in second place in a tie with Rain or Shine at 5-3 behind league-leader San Miguel Beer, the only unbeaten team in the tournament with seven victories in as many games.

Sta. Lucia was just a point down after Johnson scored back-to-back baskets but the Tropang Texters quickly answered with a 26-11 run and TNT roared to a 33-17 lead after one quarter.

TNT posted its biggest lead at 59-25 on a basket by Cardona with 2:08 left in the second quarter.

The Tropang Testers, the reigning Philippine Cup titlist, were coming off a 124-122 win over Alaska last March 7 in a game wherein they also were able to eke out a win despite squandering a 19-point third quarter lead.

Five days before that win over the Aces, Talk 'N Text had lost to Barako Bull 135-133 despite leading by 24 with 8:59 left to play.

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SLR 109, RoS 100

Just as head coach Boyet Fernandez proclaimed on the eve of their scheduled encounter, the Sta. Lucia Realtors slowed down Rain or Shine with their defense.

But when the going got tough, their timely 3-point shooting made the difference and propelled the Realtors to a 109-100 victory – their highest output this conference -- Friday (27 March 2009) at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Anthony Johnson came up short of a double-double for the first time in seven games with 34 points and nine rebounds while Norman Gonzales added 17 and 10 boards of splendid effort as the Realtors picked up their second straight win and fifth in seven games in the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

The duo also accounted for eight of their team’s 14 3-point shots that spoiled repeated rallies by the Elasto Painters, who appeared like dead in the second quarter but slowly clawed back and provided the Realtors an exciting challenge.

Sta. Lucia went 14-of-30 from behind the arc with Johnson going 3-of-6 and Gonzales making 5-of-8 attempts.

“We’ll take it. I’m still happy that we walked away with the win,” offered Fernandez, referring to the 24-point second quarter advantage his troops blew.

The Realtors went to business right ahead, throwing Dennis Espino and Marlou Aquino to defend against Jai Lewis. The plan worked perfectly as the Rain or Shine import struggled to gain his rhythm and eventually lost his effectiveness when he picked up his fourth foul with 7:57 remaining in the third quarter.

Because he was busy defending, Espino took just nine attempts and scored 11 points before fouling out with seven minutes remaining while Aquino, playing his best basketball likely since his varsity years, contributed 10 and had six blocks to typify Sta. Lucia’s no-nonsense defense. Johnson also had four rejections.

The Realtors appeared to have the victory sealed when they coasted to a 44-24 advantage midway in the second quarter.

But their offense suddenly went sour, going without a field goal in the last 3:54 of the third, enabling the Elasto Painters to complete a 16-0 run that cut Sta. Lucia’s lead to 49-41 at halftime.

Sol Mercado scored a personal conference-best 27 points and had five assists to show the way for the Elasto Painters, who had four-game winning streak snapped and fell into a second place tie with the Realtors behind unbeaten San Miguel Beer (6-0) heading to the league’s RP-Australia Goodwill series and Holy Week break.

Lewis, who will fly to the US Sunday for week-long break, recorded his fifth consecutive double-double with 23 points and 15 rebounds and Gabe Norwood added 12 and 10 boards.

Jireh Ibanes scored 12 points and his third 3-pointer of the night shoved the Elasto Painters to a 57-56 lead with seven minutes to play in the third.

The Elasto Painters didn’t take long in the driver’s seat, though.

Johnson made a technical free throw after Ibanes was whistled for flagrant foul-penalty one and Paolo Mendoza added two more before Espino knocked in a huge 3-point shot to cap an 8-0 run and put the Realtors ahead to stay, 63-57.

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SLR 100, Aces 90

The last time out, Sta. Lucia Realty got into trouble for failing to hold on to a big lead. In its next outing, it showed it could dish out a dose of its own medicine.

The Realtors beat Alaska 100-90 in a game where both teams had highs and lows Sunday (22 March) to get back on the winning track in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

Just four days after blowing a 19-point lead and losing a 92-98 decision to San Miguel Beer, the Realtors displayed their own defensive tenacity by holding the Aces scoreless in the last 3:24 of the game.

Offense was taken cared of by Anthony Johnson, Marlou Aquino, Kelly Williams and Dennis Miranda, who mainly conspired in a balanced assault that propelled Sta. Lucia to its fourth win in six games, tying it with idle Burger King at third spot in the standings.

For winning head coach Boyet Fernandez, it was his charges’ keeping their defensive focus after falling behind by 72-82 early in the fourth quarter that spelled the biggest difference in the game marking the teams' first meeting since Alaska beat them in six games in the Philippine Cup semifinals.

“This is a defensive struggle,” said Fernandez. “We're both 1-2 in defense in the tournament right now and as I've said before, those who make stops will win in the end. Defense really played a factor in this game.”

So listless did Alaska wind the game up that although it managed to score on four triples it only had four points from everywhere else in the fourth quarter, going 0-of-7 from inside the arc and committing five turnovers in the stretch.

Seemingly out of frustration, Tim Cone was ejected for two straight technical fouls and assistant Jojo Lastimosa also drew a 'T' with the Aces just 30.6 seconds from officially having their win-streak cut short at two and absorbing their second loss in six games.

Johnson turned all those technicals into free throws that made it a 97-90 game before Miranda pegged the final count with a deep three at the buzzer.

After being held to only 19 points by SMB, Johnson wound up with 40 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two shotblocks. Aquino had his best scoring game of the season with 18 points, spiking it up with four rebounds, as many assists and three shotblocks.

Miranda added 16 points while anchoring the defense on Willie Miller while Williams wound up with 12 points and seven boards.

Despite being limited to just four points in the fourth period, Miller still wound up with 20 points to lead Alaska, which also drew 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds from Rosell Ellis and at least 13 points from Joe Devance and Sonny Thoss.

The windup was a complete reversal of what transpired in the third period of the game that had a total of 14 lead changes and 13 deadlocks.

Aquino's baseline jumper and Johnson's trey put Sta. Lucia ahead at 69-64 before Alaska went on an 11-1 tear that gave it a 74-70 lead going into the payoff quarter.

Johnson's followup dunk opened up the final period, but the Aces remained hot with Devance hitting back-to-back treys and Ellis canning two charities for the game's biggest difference, still 10:11 to go.

Then Miranda scored on a drive and issued back-to-back assists to Johnson and Ryan Reyes, resulting in a triple and a short stab that completely got the Realtors well on their way to their biggest comeback yet in the tournament.

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SLR 92, SMB 98

San Miguel Beer went through a wringer but survived, making it 5-of-5 in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference with a 98-92 decision over Sta. Lucia Realty on 19 March at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

The Beermen gallantly clawed their way back from the depth of 19-point deficits in the third quarter then went to Dondon Hontiveros for the clutch shots at the finish, completing the come-from-behind victory that kept their unbeaten run in the season-ending tourney.

Hontiveros banged in a booming triple and nailed a free throw in the last 23 seconds to clinch the win that stretched the Beermen's searing run to five games.

Trailing most of the first three quarters, the Beermen shifted to zone defense to stymie Sta. Lucia's searing offense.

San Miguel stormed upfront, 69-62, at the end of the third period and hung tough to the finish in dealing Sta. Lucia a second loss against three wins.

Before the game, San Miguel and Sta. Lucia were the hottest teams in the tourney with the Beermen on a four-game romp and the Realtors on a three-game roll.

It appeared the Realtors would keep their run going as they started strong and enjoyed 19-point spreads at 53-34 and 62-34.

But the Beermen won't give up.

The Beermen held the Realtors scoreless in the last five minutes of the third period to sway the tide in their favor going into the fourth quarter.

San Miguel surged ahead to stay at 95-92 on a three-pointer by Hontiveros with 23 ticks left to play.

Sta. Lucia eventually yielded the game as Joseph Yeo was called for an offensive foul on Jay Washington after the Hontiveros trey.

Hontiveros and Gabe Freeman converted three straight charities in the closing seconds for the final count.

Freeman scored 25 points and got 12 rebounds as against Anthony Johnson's 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Hontiveros and Olsen Racela added 17 and 15 points, respectively, for the Beermen.

The Realtors dominated the first half, sitting on a 44-34 cushion at the turn with Kelly Williams leading their assault with 13 points.

Second-string forward Norman Gonzales scored eight straight points to highlight a key run opening up a 40-31 lead for Sta. Lucia from a 26-all count.

Marlou Aquino made all of his seven points in the first quarter ending in their favor at 21-19.

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SLR 100, Bull 91

Anthony Johnson had a season-high 43 points including 16 in the third quarter that sparked a fiery rally by the Sta. Lucia Realtors, who rebounded from a 13-point deficit and turned the game around for a 100-91 victory against Barako Bull Friday night (13 March 2009) at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Sta. Lucia import made 20 of 31 attempts and had 21 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double as the Realtors posted their third consecutive victory in the in 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Cup after losing their opening game against Burger King 96-87 on 28 February in Dumaguete City.

Those were Johnson’s highest scoring and rebounding outputs in a game since first playing here as an import in the 2007 Fiesta Conference for Coca-Cola.

After a lackluster first quarter, the Realtors picked up the pace in the second before Johnson anchored a decisive third quarter breakaway in which he outscored the entire Barako Bull bench.

Johnson went 8-for-10 in that telling stretch and the Realtors shot 53 percent from the field as Sta. Lucia outscored Barako Bull, 32-10.

“We were complacent in the first quarter,” offered Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez, referring to their slow start. “But we quickly made some adjustments on our offensive patterns that enabled us to break the zone then we played tough defense in the second half and that was the key.”

The Barakos led 52-44 at halftime but the Realtors opened the third quarter with a 14-2 run for a 60-54 lead and never trailed the rest of the way.

Kelly Williams also turned in a double-double effort with 21 points and 13 rebounds and Marlou Aquino dished out another standout performance with 14 points, nine boards and two blocks, drawing nothing but praise from his coach.

“Marlou is playing like a 25-year old. He’s helping us offensively and working just as hard on defense. You can tell that he’s really in top shape. I hope he could keep it,” Fernandez said.

The Barakos tried to make a run in the early in the fourth that pulled them within 70-76 on a basket by Cornelius McFedgon with 10:36 remaining.

But the Realtors, who are now-3-0 against Barako Bull this season, answered with 10 straights points that broke their opponents’ spine. Johnson had eight points in that run.

McFadgon turned in 38 points on 12-of-28 shooting and Gabby Espinas and Paolo Hubalde added 11 apiece for the Barakos, who fell to 1-3 (win-loss) record.

Early on, it looked like the Barakos would score an upset.

Their offense was running smoothly and with their zone seemingly unbreakable, the Barakos stormed to a 44-31 advantage with 5:10 left in the first half.

Barako Bull appeared to still enjoy the momentum with an eight-point lead going into the second half. But they shot just 23 percent (5-of-21) in the third and never recovered from there.

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SLR 80, Ginebra 76

Sta. Lucia Realty snapped a losing spell in head-to-head matches with Barangay Ginebra in the season, pulling off a pulsating 80-76 win in their first match in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Astrodome last 11 March 2009.

Anthony Johnson dished out a solid no-relief job with Denok Miranda and Marlou Aquino providing big support as the Realtors overcame the Kings in a furious battle, notching a second straight victory in the import-laced tourney.

"We're happy on our decision to bring back Anthony Johnson. He's been very consistent in our first three games so far. If our locals can back him up, then we'll have a good chance to win games," said coach Boyet Fernandez whose Sta. Lucia team was swept by Ginebra in two games in the Philippine Cup.

Johnson, who first reinforced the Realtors in the Brunei Cup in 2007, outplayed Rod Nealy, piling up 30 points, 12 rebounds and four assists against three errors in leading Sta. Lucia to a second win in a row following a 106-100 decision over Talk n Text Thursday.

The Realtors, however, couldn't have squeezed through minus Miranda's and Aquino's exploits.

The two scored 13 points each, including the last three points of the contest.

Miranda shattered the 76-all deadlock on a slashing drive with time down to 24.2 seconds. After Sunday Salvacion missed a three-point attempt in the ensuing play, Marlou Aquino upped their lead to three with a free throw off Eric Menk's sixth and final foul with only 8.6 seconds left.

The Kings eventually yielded the game as Rafi Reavis issued an errant pass to Ronald Tubid in the closing seconds.

Ginebra suffered a second loss in three starts with Nealy held down to 18 points, fouling out with 2:37 left to play.

Aquino, playing with renewed zest, went 6-of-13 from the field and also got five blocks and three rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

The 6-foot-9 behemoth continued to start for his team at center spot even as Dennis Espino returned from a two-game layoff. Espino was good for two steals and one block against two turnovers in 13 minutes.

Ryan Reyes was another key Sta. Lucia player who returned from a two-game layoff. The national hopeful contributed two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 14 minutes.

Johnson, Miranda, Aquino and Joseph Yeo carried the bulk of the fight for the Realtors, who battled the Kings in a fierce duel marked by 17 lead changes and 13 deadlocks.

The Sta. Lucia import went to work early, putting in 11 points as the Realtors took the first period at 24-12.

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SLR 106, TnT 100

Talk n Text won't give up but Sta. Lucia Realty won't be denied.

The Tropang Texters yielded in the end, thus, staying winless since winning the recent KFC PBA Philippine Cup.

Anthony Johnson, banking on his familiarity with his team and the PBA brand of play, showed up Tiras Wade, and the Realtors beat out the Texters in a furious battle, eking out a 106-100 win Thursday in the 2009 Motolite Fiesta Conference at the Ynares Center in Pasig.

Johnson, a former Coca-Cola import who reinforced the Realtors in a Brunei invitational tourney in 2007, erupted for 31 points, including clutch baskets scuttling Talk n Text's bid at endgame.

The Realtors actually led by as many as 16, 88-72, early in the fourth but faced a fierce TnT fightback in the homestretch anchored by Wade, Jimmy Alapag and Jarred Dillinger.

The Texters even had a chance to force overtime at 100-103 but Ranidel de Ocampo misfired a potential game-tying three-pointer.

Sta. Lucia, thus, sprang back from a loss to Burger King in the tournament opener in Dumaguete Saturday while Talk n Text suffered a second straight defeat following a blowout by Purefoods Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Realtors broke into the win column, pulling the rug from under the fancied all-Filipino champion despite the continued absence of injured key players Dennis Espino and Ryan Reyes.

Kelly Williams, Joseph Yeo, Marlou Aquino, Paolo Mendoza and Norman Gonzales were of big help with all of them finishing in double figures.

But to Johnson belonged the game's biggest shots.

The sweet-shooting import rifled in three straight baskets as the Realtors surged ahead to stay at 102-97 with time down to 27 seconds.

Down by 13 at 81-94, the Texters rode high on the exploits of Wade, Jason Castro, Alapag and Dillinger as TnT stormed ahead at 97-96.

Johnson, however, would again build a lead for Sta. Lucia, serving as their cushion in Talk n Text's make-or-break bid at endgame.

Johnson himself starred in a run that had the Realtors erecting their 16-point spread.

Earlier, Mendoza sparked a vicious SLR attack coming off the bench in the second quarter, giving the Realtors a 48-41 margin at halftime.

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SLR 87, Titans 96

The Lina Group franchise got off to a triumphant start playing under a new banner.

The Burger King Titans introduced themselves in the pro league as they whipped the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 96-87, in a road game kicking off the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Lamberto Macias Sports Center, Dumaguete City last 28 February 2009.

The Titans, formerly the Air21 Express, pulled away from a close game midway through the third quarter and went on to win the contest, the first in a series of road games featured in the “PBA Phoenix Fuel on Tour.”

Gary David, Shawn Daniels, Arwind Santos and Cyrus Baguio all scored at least 12 points each as the Titans negated Anthony Johnson’s 32-point explosion, getting a winning start under coach Yeng Guiao and team manager Eric Arejola.The Titans came through with a balanced game and upended a Sta. Lucia side which ran out of gas playing minus injured key players Dennis Espino and Ryan Reyes.

The two teams engaged in a close battle in the first 30 minutes of play before the Titans got away with decisive runs, turning a 49-58 deficit to an 87-73 spread midway through the fourth quarter.

David and Daniels teamed up with second-stringers Marvin Cruz, Chad Alonzo and JR Quinahan as the Titans uncorked a 17-3 salvo to surge ahead at 66-61.

The Realtors came within one, 71-72, at the start of the final period before Beau Belga and Egay Billones took their turns to carry the cudgels for the Titans, pushing BK 14 points up at 87-73.

Johnson, a former Coca-Cola import, tried to rally the Realtors at the finish but the closest they could get was at 83-89 with 3:35 left to play.

The Titans all but settled the outcome of the game as Baguio knocked in a jumper, Belga nailed a charity then Wynne Arboleda scored on a breakaway layup in the ensuing plays.

David finished with 16 points, pacing the Titans who drew 14 from Daniels, 13 from Santos and 12 from Baguio.

Belga, a transferee from Purefoods, made nine points in his first game with his new team.

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It's Johnson, Not Jackson

There has been a lot of confusion lately among the Sta. Lucia Realtors fans on who really will be their team's import in the coming Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)-Motolite Fiesta Conference that starts on 28 February 2009 in Dumaguete City.

Boyet Fernandez, head coach of the 2008 Philippine Cup champion Sta. Lucia Realtors, confirmed 6'6" import Anthony Johnson arrived in Manila last 22 February 2009 to replace their first choice Arthur James Jackson.

"Jackson has the talent but he will not fit in our system," said Fernandez, who is hoping Johnson would fit the team.

Johnson, who averaged 23 points and 15 rebounds two years ago in five games of the Fiesta Conference for Coca-Cola, is already familiar with the playing system of Sta. Lucia. He played for the Realtors two years ago in the Brunei Cup.

Johnson was described as a slim but athletic and quick import. He can easily beat his man off the dribble but his finishing around the basket can sometimes get shaky because of his lean frame. In his previous stint in the PBA, he is shooting over 35 percent from threes makes him a double threat.

The problem is that Johnson is not really a post-up player and with the obvious need for a dominant inside presence to help Dennis Espino, the Realtors might feel the pinch of his lack of strength underneath the boards come the big games.

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Jackson Can Ease The Pressure

Now that the Sta. Lucia Realtors have chosen their import in the coming 2008-2009 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Cup Conference, serious work can finally begin to address their dismal performance in the previous two conferences and maybe add another title to their limited achievements.

By choosing A.J. Jackson, an imposing 6-6, 230-pound forward from Robert Morris University Colonials, the SLR management has recognized the need for an inside presence who can complement the hard work put up by team captain Dennis Espino and offset the obvious absence of any significant contribution from fellow veteran, Marlou Aquino.

Aquino used to put up respectable numbers during the elimination round of the 2008 PBA Philippine Cup, which they eventually won, but it went downhill from then on. From 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 block shots, Aquino can only manage to produce 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 block shots. This is a sub-par performance for any 6-9 bean pole who used to be the top slotman in the land.

With Jackson in the fold, Aquino’s game exposure will even become more limited, but he can still become a potent reliever for Espino once in awhile. With his impending retirement after the end of this season, Aquino may strive hard to give his fans one last glimpse of what he used to do before and what he can teach to his younger teammates.

The entry of a reliable offensive option down low could also ease the transfer of Kelly Williams to the shooting forward position, where he seems more comfortable, from the power forward slot. Expected to get his points down low by banging his lean frame against the much bigger opponents, Williams output significantly went down this year from what it used to be the previous period.

During his sophomore season, Williams average 17.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.7 turnovers per game during the elimination phase. This year, he can only managed to score 14.7 points, grabbed 10.9 rebounds and commit 2.3 turnovers. His assist numbers went up from 1.7 to 2.4 during the same period, but this is of no consequence when taken together with his dismal 23.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Despite his woeful shooting, Williams can’t seem to get rid of his penchant for hurling those low percentage long distance threes. He took 93 shots from the rainbow territory out of the 425 that the whole team has taken or at least one-fourth of the total shots. Paolo Mendoza, the designated hitman for the Realtors, only took 63 shots or 14.8 percent of the total shots taken by the team even if he is shooting a respectable 31.8 percent from that area.

Now that things are becoming clearer and comfort zones well-established, only a major setback like the one that former import Lee Benson did awhile back can disrupt the emergence of the revitalized Realtors.

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