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Coca-Cola turns
back Red Bull
By NOLI CORTEZ
RED Bull is a perfect example of resuscitation in the KFC PBA
Philippine Cup and it’s now Coca-Cola’s turn.
The Tigers picked up from where they left off
with a 97-92 victory over the Bulls last night to finally get
out of the cellar at the Araneta Coliseum.
Asi Taulava had 17 points and seven rebounds
while Alex Cabagnot added 16 points and seven assists in
typifying Coke’s lethal inside-outside game that became the
major factor for the team’s second straight win.
Red Bull started out hot to post as much as
an early 20-9 lead. But when the Bulls’ outside sniping went
sour, their bid to notch a fourth straight win following a 0-2
win-loss start also started heading south.
Now, the two are tied at 3-4, which pleased
interim coach Kenneth Duremdes no end, especially since it was
his second win in three games after taking over from head coach
Binky Favis.
He refused to take all the credit, however,
opting to point out his erstwhile teammates’ newfound
confidence.
"Tingin ko maganda ’yung nilalaro nila ngayon,
kasi kelangan nila ipakita na kaya nilang manalo," said the
34-year-old. "Nu’ng nakaraan parang di sila inspired. Ngayon
malaki ’yung improvement."
Nic Belasco added 15 points and nine rebounds
and Mark Macapagal added 14 points, spiked by back-to-back
triples inside the last 22 seconds of the third quarter that
staved off Red Bull’s uprising and gave the team a 78-73 lead
for the fourth quarter.
"Masaya tayo and beating Red Bull is not
easy. Ang dami nilang tinalong malalakas na teams," said
Duremdes, referring to such Bulls victims as Ginebra, San Miguel
Beer and Talk N text.
Larry Rodriguez’s 15 points were enough to
lead Red Bull, although four other teammates also scored in
double figures, led by Paolo Hubalde’s career-high 13 points.
All those proved futile in the face of Coke’s
inherent inside strength that became more pronounced with the
trade last Thursday that sent forward Rich Alvarez to Purefoods.
With only Mike Hrabak, Carlo Sharma, Gabby
Espinas and Rodriguez left at the Bulls’ frontline, Coke had a
virtually easy time asserting its inside might that was
complemented by the outside snipings of Cabagnot, Macapagal,
Ronjay Buenafe and even Cesar Catli.
Three straight free throws by Belasco and
Macapagal made it a 93-83 count in the last 2:18 of play that
proved safe enough to quash any hopes Red Bull might have had of
salvaging the game.
In all, Coca-Cola had a whopping 60-43
advantage off the boards, preserving the lead it first wrested
after outscoring Red Bull 35-18 in the second quarter for a
60-47 margin at the break.
Coca-Cola’s lead even reached a high of
66-51, when Aris Dimaunahan’s intended alley-oops pass to
Belasco went in instead for a triple, 8:20 left in the third
quarter.
But Red Bull’s resilience came to the fore when it battled
back to within 71-72 on Hubalde’s looping jumper, 43 ticks left
in the third. | 
