Ateneo Defeats La Salle Twice In A Week

For the second time in a week, the Ateneo Blue Eagles defeated the De La Salle Green Archers.  In their first match of the season last week, Ateneo escaped with a narrow four point victory over La Salle with a final score of 76-72 in OT.  In their second meeting of the season, however, the Blue Eagles showed their basketball prowess by posting an 81-65 win over Green Archers.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but that’s how it goes.  I was only able to watch snippets of the last game and it was clear why Ateneo is on top.  Their execution and playmaking was way better than La Salle’s.  The Archers, on the other hand, played lazily and lacked heart.  Though I’m a Lasallian, I’d be the first to admit that I saw more aggresiveness in Ateneo, their desire to win was smoothly translated into their play by play execution. 

La Salle’s chances of getting into the Final Four just got slimmer after their previous setbacks.  Of course, I’m still rooting for my team to win and at least enter the Final Four this season.  But the Green Archers need more than their mediocre plays and sloppy executions to win games.  Of course, Franz Pumaren’s magic will always be a big factor, but if the players can’tget their acts together, La Salle would surely be in deep sh*t. 

Kudos to Ateneo taking the two season games against us, but I believe that La Salle would always find ways to bounce back. 

Keep it green, guys!

 

-fouledout

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).

-fouledout

 

Talk and Text Bags All-Filipino Crown

Talk and Text just won’t let Alaska Aces win the PBA All-Filipino crown without a fight. The Tropang Texters went 0-2 early in the series but bounced back and eventually won the title in game seven. Talk and Text’s grit and heart was evident in the final two minutes of the series as they converted crucial baskets and held the Aces scoreless until the end of the game. Talk and Text celebrated a 93-89 championship victory at the Araneta Coliseum on February 11.

Mac-Mac Cardona led the Tropang Texters with 23 points. He also bagged the Finals MVP title. Newcomer Jason Castro exploded for 19 points, 8 rebounds and eight assists. Ranidel de Ocampo added 12 points while Jimmy Alapag and Ali Peek had ten points apiece.

Willie Miller finished the game with 22 points and eight assists, but failed to convert free-throws in the final seconds with TNT just up 91-89. Joe Devance chipped in 14 points and 14 rebounds. LA Tenorio and Larry Fonacier had ten points each for the Aces.

This is Talk and Text’s second championship title in the league. Their first championship was in 2003, also an All-Filipino crown.

It was a well fought battle between the two teams, but Talk and Text outplayed the Alaska especially in the final four minutes of the last quarter. Though tempers flared in the seven game series, everything ended well in the series. Nobody got hurt and there no incidents of fist fights or brawls.

I’m personally happy because I’ve been a fan of Talk and Text since 2003. I’ve always been a supporter of this team. I may not always watch their games, but I am always rooting for them to win. Kudos! It’s a well-deserved win. Congratulations.

-fouledout