IF TRUTH be told, I had a feeling something special was going to happen Sunday night. Some thirty years or so ago, that might have meant a hot date, but on this particular Sunday, it was all about a basketball game, the do-or-die match between Barangay Giñebra and Air 21 Express which I was to cover for ABC-5.
I couldn’t really put my finger on it, since most people were saying it was a near-impossible task for the Gins owing to the spate of injuries that hit the team. And it wasn’t as if those side-lined were non-entities. If guys like Andy Seigle, Rommel Adducul, Rodney Santos, Aries Dimaunahan and even JJ Helterbrand were sitting it out, then you’ve got a major problem.
But in almost 25 years of covering the PBA, I have learned not to take anything for granted especially with a team like Giñebra. The game started off as we thought it would, with both teams running like mad, and Air 21 getting the upper hand for most of it. Mark Caguioa wasn’t much of factor initially, as coach Bo Perasol shuffled three different players on him. He managed only 10 points at the end of the half but he put KG Cañaleta in foul trouble.
Then the 4th quarter came around and Air 21 was still. Then suddenly, all hell broke loose as Caguioa played like a man possessed. He took charge, and when the smoke cleared a lot of people were left with their mouths hanging down to their chests as Caguioa scored a career-high 45 points and although they needed an extra 5 minute period to get the job done, the Gin Kings pulled through once more and for their countless fans, all was right with the universe once again.
No doubt Giñebra deserves accolades for another display of bravado under adversity, but Air 21 must also be commended. They’re a young team, with a young coach, and a rookie go-to-guy in Cañaleta but they have time and again given the best in the league a run for their money. As I mentioned in this space only a few days ago, the Express are fast developing into a "dehadista’s" favorite.
Meanwhile, the quarterfinal round reels off tomorrow at the Big Dome with the Alaska Aces facing the Coca-Cola Tigers and Red Bull taking on Giñebra in their respective best-of-five series.
This time I won’t forget to bring lozenges.
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Another event we were following over the weekend was the 37th Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy. Our ladies team was a revelation, placing 26th, although seeded 60th. The gritty squad composed of Sheerie Joy Lomibao, Catherine Pereña, Sherily Cua and Beverly Mendoza put together 22 points to earn the lofty placing behind winner Ukraine. Cua, who is not a regular member of the national pool, scored the most points playing on Board 3, with 6.5 points. Pereña and Mendoza both collected 6 points while Lomibao managed 3.
The ladies’ best finish was 17th in Tessaloniki, Greece back in 1988 when our men’s team also performed their best at 7th place.
Alas, after some impressive showings against some of the better teams, the men’s team settled for 44th (we were ranked 35th) with a total of 28.5 points. We had some brilliant moments when we hovered in the top 20, hoping to better our last performance two years ago at 19th.
But the team composed of Mark Paragua, Eugene Torre, Joey Antonio, Oliver Dimakiling, Darwin Laylo and Wesley So were unable to finish strong in the last three rounds, losing to the Netherlands (1-3), drawing with Switzerland (2-2) and bowing to 26th ranked Brazil (2.5-1.5).
Still, with all the odds stacked against it, including preparations of only one month and squabbling in the local chess federation, we still say it was a good try by our boys.
Can you imagine what they could have accomplished with better training and lesser distractions? Let’s just hope and pray we can have that next time.
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