BY NOLI CORTEZ

STA. Lucia Realty adjusted well without ace reliever Joseph Yeo but Purefoods failed to get its game going due to the absence ace gunner James Yap last Sunday as the Realtors moved within the threshold of yet another breakthrough win.

Bucking the predominantly pro-Purefoods crowd at the Araneta Coliseum, the Realtors refused to blink despite the absence of Yeo who sat out the game due to a flagrant foul and outplayed the Giants 88-76 to move closer to the coveted Smart PBA Philippine Cup crown.

The victory, which came after two straight defeats, enabled the Realtors to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and gave hem two cracks at their first-ever All-Filipino title beginning tomorrow. If needed, Game 7 will be played Sunday, also at the Big Dome.

Should the Realtors cop the crown, it will cap a conference in which they went on a franchise-record eight straight wins and surpassed their total number of wins the entire last season, when they went 18-28.

As is his wont, SLR coach Boyet Fernandez refused to look that far ahead, however. "We just have to play it one game at a time and we’ll see on Wednesday," he said.

Yap, averaging 27.2 points per game in the finals, served a one-game suspension and his absence clearly told on each team’s game plan, particularly on the Giants, who failed to come up with an answer when the Realtors went to the zone defense. Yeo, norming 16.8 ppg, served his penance after committing a flagrant foul-penalty 2 earlier in the series.

Interestingly enough, had Yap and Yeo played and came up with their respective points averages, Sta. Lucia would still have won by a point.

Fernandez, however, chose to focus on his team’s defense as key behind the win.

"We’re really a defensive team. For as long as we’re able to play our defense, we’ll do well in this series," said Fernandez, whose charges held the Giants to their lowest output in the series and second lowest in the season-opening conference.
Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio saw it another way. "Playing without James is like running a marathon with just one leg. For the last three years we’ve formulated our offense with James and Kerby (Raymundo) anchoring it. Missing one will tell heavily in our overall offensive scheme."

Raymundo managed to finish with a team-high 20 points along with nine rebounds and seven assists. But he went eerily quiet in the two middle quarters and scored 11 only after Sta. Lucia had erected as much as a 71-53 spread in the fourth.

As if he too was absent, Peter June Simon contributed only three points, 15.8 below his finals average.

In contrast, the Realtors had Kelly Williams and Dennis Espino to go to in the second period, Nelbert Omolon in the third, and Paolo Mendoza and Marlou Aquino in the fourth, each finishing with at least nine points.

After averaging just 13 points in their last two games, Williams exploded for 20 points and 16 rebounds for his 21st double-double of the conference. No other player has more than 17 in the tournament.

Gregorio said for his team to stay alive, they have to recall a previous series where they rallied from as much as a 1-3 deficit to and win the crown.

"If we realize we can bounce back from a hole as deep as 1-3, then we can give it our best effort and energy," he stated.