RCBC, ABS-CBN stun SMC, STAR

RCBC and ABS-CBN pulled the rug from under elimination-round topnotchers San Miguel Corp. and The Philippine Star, setting up a highly improbable title match in the first Philippine Star Friendship League at the Meralco gym yesterday.

Jaime Oliva beat Samboy Lim in their fierce shootout with 42 points and the whole RCBC squad worked on a resolute defense as it nipped the Allan Caidic-less SMC team, 87-85, while ABS-CBN overcame an early 10-point deficit with a fluid motion game to trip The Star, 83-72, in the cross-over semifinals.

RCBC and ABS-CBN will thus clash in a one-game title playoff Saturday. SMC and The Star, which topped the elims with identical 4-1 (win-loss) cards, dispute second runner-up honors on the same day.

Lim scored 33 points but it went down the drain as they fell in defeat minus Caidic and another ex-pro Arthur dela Cruz. Siot Tanquigcen and Hector Calma had 19 and 14 points, respectively.

RCBC shook off a listless start, wiping out a 22-31 first-quarter deficit and holding on at the finish in its stunning upset of SMC.

ABS-CBN practically did the same against The Star, overcoming a 38-48 deficit with a fiery second-half stint.

The ABS-CBN dribblers dropped a 16-2 bomb to take the lead at 54-50. And though the Starmen regained the upperhand at 59-58 through the efforts of Rene Recto, Jon de Guzman and Noel Cabales, the ABS-CBN quintet never lost composure, staging another attack to seize the momentum for a trouble-free windup.

Garret Cailes, Dave Gonzales and Zoilo Gonzales delivered the lethal blows on the Starmen, combining for 49 points.

De Guzman fired 22 points to pace the Starmen, who also drew double-digit outputs from Recto with 15 and Alfred Bartolome with 12.