Games Tomorrow
(Araneta Coliseum)
4:05 p.m. - Welcoat vs. Coca-Cola
6:30 p.m. - Alaska vs. TNT

BY NOLI CORTEZ

HIGHLY-touted rookie Kelly Williams had the highlight play but his more seasoned teammates provided the game-winners last night.

The end result was a 96-88 win by Sta. Lucia Realty over Air21 that snapped the Realtors’ opening games woes since 2000 and gave them a resounding debut in the Talk N Text-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Third-year veteran Nelbert Omolon and sophomore Alex Cabagnot played to their potential in the fourth quarter, combining to lift the Realtors out of a very tight game and into the win that was deemed unlikely in pre-season rankings.

They also helped preserve the beauty of a Williams dunk with 2:56 left in the second quarter that drew oohs and aahs from the good-sized crowd.

Williams made a back cut to the baseline, took Cabagnot’s lob with his right hand and slammed it home in one motion that made the count 46-43.

"It’s called my Wait-Until-The-Next-One dunk," said Williams with a smile.

Realtors coach Alfrancis Chua, whose team has not won its season-opening game since 2000, said it was precisely the oddsmakers’ predictions, placing his team at seventh, which he used to fire up his team.

"Although that was fine by me, I still used that as a challenge for us. I promised this team we will rise to the top step by step," said Chua. "We may start out at seventh, but we will get to sixth in the second game and so on."

Omolon scattered 11 of his game-high 16 points and Cabagnot eight of his 15 in the final period, propping the Realtors’ surge from the 12th and last deadlock at 71 and into the game’s biggest lead at 85-74 with 6:36 to go.

The Express, who led by as many as eight points in the early goings, battled back to within 81-85 when Gary David split his charities and Nino Canaleta wriggled free of Omolon for four straight points.

Cabagnot, who also had seven assists, strung up five straight points to dispel the threat right there and Dennis Espino and Omolon took care of the mopping up operations with three points each in the final minute.

"For the first time in years, we had a complete lineup for our first game and everybody showed up. They really played well," said Chua, adding his younger legs have blended well with his veterans Espino, Kenneth Duremdes and Marlou Aquino.

"Air21 is among the top three fastest teams in this league at nakasabay kami. That’s a good sign for us and brought about by the emphasis we put on quickness and speed in all our practices," added Chua.

The anticipated match-up between top draft pick Williams and No. 2 Arwind Santos of Air21 did not materialize since each was fielded at different stretches on the floor. But both did their respective jobs.