By rey c. lachica
THE TITANS finally made their move, while the Jewels continued to shine.
Responding to the challenge of brand-new coach Jerry Codiñera, the TeleTech Titans came through with a lightning-quick assault in the final four minutes yesterday to hack out an impressive 78-69 come-from-behind win over Granny Goose Tortillos in the 2006 PBL Unity Cup at the Olivarez College Sports Center in Parañaque.
Titan’s feat, however, was overshadowed by the Montaña Jewels’ stunning 68-60 win over Magnolia Ice Cream, a victory that enabled them to join Rain or Shine on top of the standings at 3-0.
Protecting a slim 71-69 lead, Al Magpayo, slowly recovering his deadly touch, unleashed a killer blow, knocking in a booming trey that all but took the sting out of the Spinners with a little over two minutes left.
The 6-foot-5 Magpayo finished with 22 points, including 9 in the pivotal fourth period where the two teams engaged each other in a thrilling shootout.
Alex Compton, playing despite a nagging calf injury, was scoreless in 24 minutes of play but this hardly mattered as Magpayo took the scoring cudgels. He also grabbed six boards and dished out three assists in 31 minutes of action.
With the win, the Titans joined Magnolia, Granny Goose and Hapee-PCU at 1-2.
The Titans started slow, falling behind as many as 15 points early in the third quarter before going full throttle at the most crucial stage of the game to snap a two-game losing run and finally savor the sweet taste of victory.
The win was so sweet for Codiñera who did not expect to get his first win this early. And for that, he felt like he won a million bucks in a lottery.
"Honestly, I did not expect to get my first win this early. Ganito pala ang feeling ng manalo as a coach," said Codiñera. "I have to give it to the boys for all their efforts, everybody contributed for this win."
It was actually doubly satisfying for Codiñera as the win came at the expense of good friend, Robert Sison.
"Considering the status of coach Robert, this is big," said Codiñera who credited the team’s resilience and resolve for refusing to give up despite a sluggish start.
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