Pals derail Barako; Kings near q'finals By Jasmine W. Payo Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 21:46:00 07/04/2008
GAMES SUNDAY (Cuneta Astrodome) 4:30 p.m.--Sta. Lucia vs Red Bull 6:50 p.m.--Ginebra vs Alaska
MANILA, Philippines--Talk N' Text import Terrence Leather knocked down a shot off the outstretched arms of Red Bull giant Adam Parada with just 2.8 seconds remaining as the Phone Pals derailed the Barako's bid for an outright semifinal stint with a 105-103 victory in the Smart PBA Fiesta Cup Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Leather's bail-out shot improved the Phone Pals' record to 9-9 before heading into the wildcard phase.
Earlier, Mark Caguioa erupted with 26 points as Barangay Ginebra pounced on the self-destructing Welcoat Dragons to keep their chances alive for the remaining outright quarterfinal berth.
Caguioa scattered 16 in the second half and teamed up with Ronald Tubid and Jayjay Helterbrand to put the Kings in control late in the third period.
The Kings climbed to the fifth spot to forge a tie with Alaska at 9-8 on the penultimate day of the season-ending tournament.
A victory against Alaska on Sunday will assure the Kings of a quarterfinal stint.
The Barako also have another chance to join elimination-round leader Air21 in the Final Four when they tackle Sta. Lucia Sunday.
Leather topscored for the Phone Pals with a personal conference-high 47 points and 14 rebounds.
Since tapping third import Chris Alexander, who added 20 points, the Kings have won nine of their last 11 matches, including five straight.
Welcoat failed to advance to the playoffs anew with a 4-14 slate.
The Dragons came out strong in the first half, but crumbled in the closing quarters as Caguioa, Tubid, Helterbrand and Paul Artadi took turns in the Kings' scoring onslaught.
From a 75-75 standoff late in the third period, the Kings closed out the quarter with a 10-2 surge.
Marquis Gainous shot a team-high 27 points, while Jay-R Reyes scored 15 for the Dragons, who bowed out of the eliminations for the fourth straight conference.
Meanwhile, the league slapped fines Friday on imports Terrence Leather of Talk 'N Text and Ginebra's Chris Alexander due to a "verbal altercation" during their game last June 29.
Leather was slapped with a P5,000 fine for his misconduct, which also included "tripping without contact," while Alexander got a P1,600 fine.
Sta. Lucia star Kelly Williams also got a P1,600 sanction for an "unsportsmanlike act of second motion" during the Realtors match versus Purefoods last June 27.
The scores:
First Game GINEBRA 111--Caguioa 26, Tubid 24, Alexander 20, Helterbrand 18, Artadi 8, Valenzuela 6, Crisano 4, Mamaril 2, Menk 2, Escalona 1, Pacana 0, Salvacion 0, Reavis 0.
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