Captain Hook Saves the Day

Macmac Cardona’s late game heroics helped the Talk n Text top the Alaska Aces 124-122 last night.  In the dying seconds, Cardona converted a three-point play and drained a triple to save the day.  Talk n Text squandered a 19-point lead in the fourth period but survived the game by riding Cardona’s end-game salvo.  Cardona finished with 16 points.

Tiras Wade led TnT with 35 points including seven triples, while Jimmy Alapag and Jared Dillinger added 17 points apiece. 

Alaska Aces was led by Rosell Ellis with 30 points and 17 rebounds.  Joe Devance chipped in 20 points and backcourt tandem, LA Tenorio and Willie Miller contributed 18 points each.

 Talk and Text moved up to the .500 spot with a 3-3 record while the Alaska Aces dropped to 2-5 (.286).

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Barangay Ginebra Kings Back On Top

The Barangay Ginebra Kings are back on top after they defeated the Air 21 Express 97-84 for the PBA Fiesta Conference Crown.

Best Player of the Conference Jayjay Helterbrand missed the game due to a hamstring injury. Mark Caguioa and Paul Artadi were slowed down by leg injuries. Junthy Valenzuela left the game in the third period due to tendonitis and did not return. Though handicapped by injuries, Ginebra was able to fuel their championship drive with their heart to win. Ronald Tubid and Erik Menk carried the load on their backs as they combined for 43 points and 17 rebounds. Tubid and Menk were eventually awarded as the Finals co-MVP. Chris Alexander was hounded by fouls in the game but still contributed 16 points, 19 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Steven Thomas led Air 21 with 24 points. Arwind Santos added 19 points while Gary David chipped in 18 points including four shots from beyond the arc.

It was an appropriate finish for an exciting best of seven series that could have gone in favor of both teams. Air 21 and Ginebra both deserve the crown, but only one team can win it all.

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Air 21 Dismantles Ginebra, Ties the Series 1-1

True to their word, Air 21 Express delivered the goods on game two and dismantled the crowd favorite Ginebra Gin Kings with a 34-point blowout. Ginebra entered the game riding a 13-game winning streak only to be snapped by the underdog Air 21. The final score was 124-90, the biggest winning margin in the Air 21 franchise history.

The Express were relentless in the hard-court as they outscored the Kings in all quarters, also out-rebounding their opponents 55-41.

Ginebra awardees Jayjay Helterbrand and Chris Alexander both failed to fire up and carry their team for the win. Alexander, named as the Best Import, only managed to put up 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Helterbrand, hailed as the Best Player of the Conference, struggled with only four points and left the game in the third period because of a hamstring injury.

On the other hand, Air 21 played with a lot of grit and intensity as the team demonstrated a balanced offensive attack. Gary David and Arwind Santos led the Express with 20 points apiece. Egay Billones and JC Intal chipped in 11 points each while seven other Express players contributed at least 8 points each.

With the teams splitting the first two games, the series is back on an even playing field. Game 3 of the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference finals will be played tomorrow at the Araneta Coliseum.

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