Magnolia whips Granny in opener

Kim Valenzuela came away with 17 points as Magnolia Dairy Ice Cream scrambled past Granny Goose Tortillos, 79-70, at the start of the PBL Heroes Cup at the La Salle gym yesterday.

Out to redeem themselves after a disappointing campaign last conference, the Wizards shrugged off a shaky start then leaned on a strong third quarter attack to fashion out the victory.

Valenzuela, who had a forgettable stint with Ginebra San Miguel last year, led Magnolia’s well-balanced attack with 17 points, including a huge trey midway in the third quarter that ripped the game wide open.

As expected, the Wizards struggled in the early part of the game, particularly on the defensive end but the Snackmasters fared even worse, enabling Magnolia to seize control.

"We still have a lot of things to do as far as our game is concerned,"Magnolia coach Koy Banal said. "But a win is a win. I can’t blame the boys, even the coaching staff medyo nangangapa pa rin."

Credit should go to Valenzuela, who stepped up for main men Arwind Santos and Kelly Williams.

The 6-foot-7 Williams tallied 10 points but had an unimpressive 4-of-13 shooting from the field, while the 6-foot-4 Santos, who earlier vowed to give his team another championship, was limited to just seven points and was scoreless in the final 10 minutes.

Williams, however, shone on the defensive end, grabbing 10 rebounds in 22 minutes of play while Santos accounted for five boards and three assists in 23 minutes of play.

Banal was also delighted with the way his newcomers — Jeff Bombeo and Alex Angeles — played as they collared four rebounds each.

"Though some of veteran players struggled offensively, they brought their winning attitude to the game which rubbed off on my newcomers," said Banal, who lost to the Snackmasters in the battle for third place in the Unity Cup.

Rain or Shine (formerly Welcoat Paints) went to new recruits Ronjay Enrile and Yousif Aljamal and the veteran Jojo Tangkay in the final quarter as the Elasto Painters beat the Toyota Otis side, 81-75, in the other game.

Tangkay scattered 21 points, while Enrile, a former top gun of Toyota Otis, added 16 points. Al Jamal chipped in eight points as the Elasto Painters outscored Toyota, 27-12 in the fourth.