Harbour Centre earns top spot

Harbour Centre disposed of Kettle Korn with relative ease,103-77, yesterday and emerged as the No. 1 team at the end of the classification round of the 2007 PBL Silver Cup at the Emilio Aguinaldo College gym in Manila.

With Reed Juntilla and Edwin Asoro scoring almost at will, the Port Masters got off to a fiery start as they took several 15-point leads late in the first quarter that set tone for the rout.

The Port Masters slowed down a bit in the second but poured on the heat in the third as they stretched their 46-35 halftime advantage to a 75-49 bulge going into the final quarter.

JC Intal, who only had five points, three assists and three rebounds, actually starred in that big run as he played the role of a guard for most of the period.

With the win, Harbour Centre finished the round tied with Mail & More and Toyota Otis at 7-3. But the Port Masters took the top spot with a superior quotient.

The Hapee Teethmasters caught up with the three-man pack after downing Cebuana Lhuillier Pera Padala, 98-90.

Jason Castro fired a career-high, season-best 33 points to lead the team’s romp.

The Moneymen, who finished tied with TeleTech at 4-6, sorely missed the services of top gunner Kenneth Bono who had to attend the PSA Awards Night to receive his Best Amateur player trophy.

The Port Masters emerged as the No. 1 by virtue of their +14 quotient, the Comets second (+9), Hapee third (+4) and Toyota Otis fourth (-27).

In the playoffs, it will be Harbour against Toyota while Mail & More battles Hapee. Both games will be played Tuesday after the first knockout phase between Magnolia and Kettle Korn.

Ryan Araña underscored Harbour’s superb shooting as he finished with 21 points on a flawless 7-of-7 shooting from the 2-point range. He also made two of three from the three-point range and capped his impressive stint with six rebounds in 21 minutes of play.

"We’re just peaking at the right time, I hope we can do better in the next round," said coach Jorge Gallent. "If we can play this kind of game, we have better chances."

The Port Masters, owned by youthful sportsman/businessman Mikee Romero, are gunning for their second straight championship after beating Toyota Otis in a classic finals last year.