THE BARANGAY IS ALIVE!
Happy days are here again for the league’s crowd darlings with their veteran leader and a new point guard running the show. And there’s this rookie big man playing a statement game, enough to make up for the absence of an import. On the other side of the spectrum, another misbehaving import was given his walking papers by his own team that continues to languish at the bottom of the standings.
HITS
Mark Caguioa – Like vintage wine, The Spark was at his best the past week. The league’s reigning Most Valuable Player had another explosive game, finishing with 28 points, four rebounds and five assists in leading his squad to an inspiring victory over the Talk N Text Tropang Texters, 107-100, Sunday night. His performance was a fitting follow up to his big game against San Mig Coffee.
June Mar Fajardo – In another stellar performance, the 6-foot-10 pride of the South was able to deliver when it mattered most – this time on a bigger stage. Up against the tallest import ever, Bruno Sundov of Rain or Shine, June Mar Fajardo finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds in powering the import-less Boosters to an 87-79 triumph over Rain or Shine in their out-of-town game Saturday.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel – Slowly but surely, this never-say-die squad is in the winning groove. The Kings posted their first back-to-back victories in the Commissioner’s Cup and it didn’t come easy as they needed to get past San Mig Coffee and Talk N Text, the protagonists of last season’s finale of the same tournament.
Petron Blaze – There’s life even without Renaldo Balkman. The Boosters showed to all and sundry that they can continue winning without a reinforcement as they upended the Elasto Painters in Panabo City. Now carrying a second best 6-2 record, the Boosters will get additional help from Rodney White, the former Barako Bull import who will take over the spot vacated by Balkman.
LA Tenorio – After displaying his playmaking chores in the team’s victory over San Mig Coffee, Tenorio went more offensive minded against Talk N Text and provided the Kings a big boost. He scored 20 points and was one of three Ginebra players to score at least 20 in their 107-100 victory over the usually explosive Tropang Texters.
MISSES
Walter Sharpe – This new import played two games, but GlobalPort management said enough is enough.
An off court misconduct forced team owner Mikee Romero to terminate the contract of Sharpe, who replaced Justin Williams recently.
He had 24 points in his debut game, but could only score two points against the Alaksa Aces, making only one of seven attempts in 20 minutes of play.
GlobalPort – With a six-game losing skid, this ballclub could not afford to have any more distractions.
So the Batang Pier decided to give Walter Sharpe, the latest distraction on the squad, the pink slip and move on to their next games.
But with a 2-7 record, GlobalPort is now in dire straits and must win as many games as it can to avoid yet another early vacation.
Rain or Shine – Once the owner of a six-game winning streak, the team suffered back-to-back setbacks for the first time this conference.
And the last one was big against import-less Petron Blaze.
The team dropped to third at 6-3, but the important thing for the squad is to get back on track.
Mac Cardona – It’s rare to see Captain Hook missing his target. But last Friday against San Mig Coffee, Mac Cardona was shut down.
He missed all his eight attempts and ended up committing four turnovers. Clearly, this game is one of those forgettable ones for someone who once held the local scoring title in the PBA.
Chris Tiu – After his breakout game in the PBA, the most popular rookie suddenly faltered.
In the past two games, Tiu had a combined 1-of-6 shooting from the field as the E-Painters’ bench production took a dip. (RJ)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
