Knights stun Paint Masters; Viva wins

Letran’s prolific backcourt tandem of Boyet Bautista and Ronjay Enrile scored huge baskets down the stretch yesterday as the Knights stunned the Welcoat Paintmasters, 71-68, in overtime to stay in the running for the finals of the 2004 PBL Unity Cup.

Bautista buried a triple at the start of the extra five minutes, then added a spectacular hang-time shot while Enrile scored on a tough drive with only 11.2 seconds left as the Knights survived the Paintmasters and in the process revived their bid to gain a playoff for the second finals berth.

"It was a big win for us. I did not think we could win a game in the semis since all three other teams have beaten us once or twice in the elims. Mabuti na lang hindi bumigay ang mga bata sa pressure," said coach Louie Alas as they notched their first win in three games versus Welcoat this conference.

"We’re not thinking of the finals para hindi masyadong mabigat ang pressure sa mga bata. One game at a time lang kami," Alas added.

In the other game, Viva Mineral Water-FEU extended its amazing winning run to nine games with relative ease, beating Hapee Toothpaste, 80-66, to gain a playoff for the second finals berth.

As expected, Arwind Santos and Mark Isip starred for the Water Force as the two joined forces in a bristling first quarter attack to turn what was expected to be a close contest into a rout.

Although Bautista and Enrile delivered the telling blows, Alas lauded Aaron Abad who actually started it all for the Knights.

"He kept us in the game because of his timely hits. I had to salute him for his energy and defense," said Alas of his 6-foot-3 forward who shared the scoring honors with Enrile with 19 points each.

Aban, who also had six rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes of action, also shone on the defensive end.

as he limited the usually explosive Jojo Tangkay to just seven points on an atrocious 1-of-17 shooting.

That was before his ouster early in the fourth quarter due to leg cramps.

Two free throws by former pro Marvin Ortiguerra put Welcoat back on top, 68-67, but Bautista rose to the occasion, scoring on a drive that had the crowd roaring in delight.

After a miscue by Chester Tolomia, Enrile also had the crowd on its feet as he outmaneuvered two Welcoat defenders for a banking shot that made it 71-68.

Tangkay had a chance to send the game into second overtime but missed a long trey.

Ortiguera sent the game into first overtime when he overpowered Raymund Dula in the shaded lane for an easy lay-up with nine ticks left in regulation.