Texters near final, trounce Beermen

Talk n Text continued to draw tremendous lift from its backcourt and pulled off another nerve-wracking win over San Miguel Beer, 106-103, to move in the threshold of the KFC PBA Philippine Cup finale at the Astrodome last night.

Jared Dillinger, Mark Cardona, Jimmy Alapag and Renren Ritualo showed up their San Miguel counterparts, leading the Tropang Texters to the win that gave them a commanding three-game-to-one advantage in the best-of-seven semifinal series.

“From the start, we know they have the advantage in size, and we have to compensate with our quickness and outside shooting. We’ve been doing that, and going with that is the team’s refusal to lose and willingness to stick together as a team. That’s the key so far,” said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.

The team gained three cracks at a first stint in the All-Filipino finals in four years, but the Texters stayed focused only on the next game.

“Right now, we’re only focused on how to come out and play Friday (tomorrow), that’s the only thing in our minds,” said Reyes.

Dillinger put in a career high 27 points while Alapag came through with his first double-double performance in the conference with 18 points and 10 assists, canceling out the huge numbers produced by Danny Seigle and Jay Washington for the Beermen.

Cardona and Ritualo also figured in the team’s offensives as the Tropang Texters drew close to a first-ever playoff series win over the Beermen. Talk n Text is 0-6 in its previous playoff duels with San Miguel.

The Beermen need to beat the Texters three games in a row to salvage the series. For the record, Barangay Ginebra and Purefoods are the only teams which have pulled off the trick in the long history of the pro league.

Dillinger, Cardona, Alapag and Ritualo took turns in delivering the goods for the Tropang Texters who squandered two 18-point leads in the first half but regrouped and beat the Beermen in a pulsating finish.

San Miguel had a chance to send the game into overtime but Bonbon Custodio missed a three-point shot in the closing seconds.

The Beermen made a big turnaround from a scrambling first half, wiping out a 31-49 deficit and erecting a 10-point spread, 87-77, in the fourth quarter.

Alapag made 16 of his 18 points in the payoff period, enabling Talk n Text to recover from a slump and regain control at 100-94.