Monday, January 7, 2008

Sta Lucia beats the magnolia for the 7th time win in a row!! PBA HIGHLIGHTS!




Outstanding rookie Ryan Reyes sustained a hit on the jaw that just enraged the Sta. Lucia Realtors even more.Hurt, Reyes sat out the last 11 minutes off the game but the entire Sta. Lucia team took up the cudgels for their fallen comrade and showed no mercy on the badly stunned Magnolia Beverage Masters.The Realtors stretched their searing run to a franchise-record seven games and assured themselves of a playoff crack at the second outright semifinals seat in the 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup with a 99-77 rout of the Beverage Masters at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday night

"The team sympathized with Ryan Reyes. The boys delivered a statement on his exit," said SLR coach Boyet Fernandez.Marlou Aquino and Kelly Williams struck hardest upon Reyes’ ouster, fuelling a mighty closing run that shattered the Beverage Masters’ bid to bits.Williams completed remarkable double-double, including grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds while Aquino churned out 19 points, seven rebounds and a conference-high tying five blocks.Before taking the exit, Reyes had gone 6-of-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists."He’s playing well. He’s one of the future stars of the league. I hope Ryan is okay," said Fernandez.Taking Reyes’ exit as a rallying point, the Realtors worked even harder, outscoring the Beverage Masters in the final canto, 32-21.Sta. Lucia was ahead by only 11 at 67-56 when Reyes had to call it a night.Williams took a steal and slammed home right at the resumption of play. Aquino later joined the fray, firing 13 points in the quarter, including a rare trey.When the demolition job was over, the Realtors found themselves assured of at least a playoff crack for second place at the close of the double-round elims.Sta. Lucia goes for an outright semis entry in its final assignment against Air21.Magnolia moved out of the race for the outright semis seats after suffering an eighth loss against nine wins. The Beverage Masters will now just try to salvage automatic entry into the quarters."We’ve achieved our original goal which was just the Magic Five. If ever we make it to the semis outright, it’s just the icing on the cake," said Fernandez.Winning 11 games so far in the elims is also a franchise record for Sta. Lucia. The Realtors nailed it while limiting the Beverage Masters to their lowest output in a game this season.Reyes rifled in five triples while Williams had eight points and the same number of rebounds as the Realtors established control early and took a 48-36 bubble at the turn.Williams scored on a two-handed follow-up jam following a miss by Dennis Espino, highlighting a 6-0 closing run that gave Sta. Lucia a 30-14 lead after the first period. (NC)


scores:
Sta. Lucia 99 – Williams 21, Reyes 19, Aquino 19, Omolon 13, Espino 10, Miranda 8, Yeo 3, Butel 2, Gonzales 2, Mendoza 2, Mamaclay 0, Coronel 0


Magnolia 77 – Pena 17, Seigle 15, Tugade 10, Tenorio 9, Gonzales 9, Hontiveros 6, Wilson 4, Villanueva 4, Racela 2, Villanueva J. 1, Calaguio

Quarterscores: 30-14, 48-36, 67-56, 99-77.



TEAM STANDINGS
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Purefoods 12 - 4
Sta Lucia 11 - 6


Alaska 10- 7


Redbull 9-7


Magnolia 9-8


Talk n text 8-8


Brgy Ginebra 8-9


Air21 6-10


Coca Cola 6-10


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Welcoat 3-13




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