JUNE Mar Fajardo (No. 15) of San Miguel Beer attempts a shot against KIA’s Kyle Pascual. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
MANILA, Philippines—Kia Motors can now claim that it belongs.
The Carnival notched the grandest win of their young PBA existence by conquering powerhouse San Miguel Beer, 88-78, in the biggest upset thus far—not only in the Commissioner’s Cup eliminations at Smart Araneta Coliseum but the entire season as well.
And KIA did it even with hulking import PJ Ramos saddled with early foul trouble and leaving the game for good with 4:37 left as the much-maligned locals of the Carnival thwarted the best all-Filipino core of the season to rise to 1-2 with just their second win in 14 games for the franchise overall.
“So this is how the press room looks like,” new assistant coach Chito Victolero told sportswriters in Filipino after being invited for an interview for the first time.
Victolero called the shots, managing the fouls of Ramos and making his locals step up when the 7-foot-3 import was riding the bench as KIA welcomed the newly crowned Philippine Cup champion Beermen to the tournament in the most stinging way possible.
“Maybe they (Beermen) were just off today,” Victolero said. “What I know is that they practiced for just one week (before this game) and it is a blessing that we were their first opponents (here).”
Victolero also missed the services of Reil Cervantes, KIA’s leading local scorer.
LA Revilla, also the hero when the Carnival, then known as the Sorento, notched their first-ever win, 100-86, over fellow newcomer Blackwater in the season inaugurals last Oct. 19 before more than 52,000 fans at Philippine Arena, quarterbacked the offense with great efficiency.
The pint-sized point guard hit all of his six free throw attempts in the fourth period with power forward Kyle Pascual and new addition Leo Avenido shooting four each.
The scores:
First Game
KIA 88—Ramos 22, Revilla 12, Yee 11, Cawaling 10, Avenido 9, Pascual 8, Dehesa 5, Burtscher 4, Buensuceso 4, Poligrates 3, Alvarez 0, Ighalo 0.
SAN MIGUEL BEER 78—Fajardo 18, Roberts 18, Santos 14, Lutz 8, Tubid 7, Ross 5, Lassiter 4, Cabagnot 2, Pascual 2, Kramer 0, Fortuna 0, Semerad 0.
Quarters: 21-17; 46-35; 67-53; 88-78