Tigers, RP Hapee prevail

Coca-Cola unravelled a prized import in Ron Hale vice Fred Williams as it rebounded from a bitter loss to RP Hapee the last time out with an 89-69 shellacking of the previously unbeaten Purefoods last night in the Samsung PBA Governors Cup eliminations at the Philsports Arena.

Hale, a former Florida State hitman, played as advertised, sizzling with 40 points that went with 11 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in powering the Tigers to their third win against two defeats.

"He (Hale) gave us a tremendous boost in this game. He’s a workhorse and hopefully, we can sustain our charge with Hale and Ron Ellis complimenting with our local lineup," said coach Chot Reyes after his Tigers made it two-zero against their sister teams in the league.

Coca-Cola pulled one against San Miguel Beer last Feb. 22. The Tigers will be next up against the Barangay Ginebra Kings - another sister team - on Saturday.

The Tigers actually got off to a poor start but returned from the halftime huddle with their guns ablaze, overcoming a 36-41 halftime deficit to hand the Hotdogs their first defeat in the tournament.

With the loss, the Hotdogs allowed the Red Bull Thunder and the Alaska Aces to gain a piece of the lead on similar 3-1 win-loss records. Curiously, it was Purefoods’ first loss under acting coach Ryan Gregorio.

No doubt, Hale made the big difference in Coca- Cola’s comeback from their sorry loss to RP Hapee last Tuesday with the former Yakima Sun King in the CBA making an impressive debut in the league, surprising the Purefoods side.

Hale scored 20 points apiece in both halves but proved to be more effective in the final half as he also made himself busy pulling down rebounds and feeding his teammates with perfect passes.

He had eight straight points in a jackrabbit 15-0 third-quarter start by Coca-Cola that sent the team darting ahead at 51-41.

Davonn Harp hit a freak three-pointer with 1.5 ticks left and RP Hapee salvaged a 65-64 win over RP Selecta in the second game. RP Hapee improved its win-loss record to 3-1 while dealing RP Selecta a third loss against a lone victory.