Beermen check skid, boost semifinal drive

MANILA, Philippines - Gabe Freeman came back strong from a two-game respite and San Miguel Beer ended a three-game slump with a crucial 99-86 win over Rain or Shine in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium last night.

Freeman poured in a personal conference high of 30 points before fouling out with over a minute left to play as he provided the Beermen tremendous boost in nailing the victory that kept them in the lead in the race for the second outright semifinals slot.

The energetic import also came through with 21 rebounds, two assists and one steal as SMB improved its record to 12-5 – two games clear of closest pursuer B-MEG Derby Ace.

The Elasto Painters blew hot and cold before eventually absorbing a third straight loss to move down to joint sixth with the Coca-Cola Tigers at 7-9.

“It’s a good win that got us out of a skid. It’s also a good win priming us up for a pivotal game versus Alaska Milk next Saturday,” said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

“It’s very evident that we got so much energy from Freeman. His return gave us another dimension in our game,” Tanquingcen added. 

Sta. Lucia Realty hacked out its first victory after trading Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes, clobbering Air21, 113-91, last night to assure itself of at least a playoff for a slot in the wildcard plays in the first game.

The Realtors came out smoking after the halftime break, pounding a surprised Air21 side in the final half for the huge win fashioned out before a good Friday crowd at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Anthony Johnson made 28 points and 11 rebounds while Ali Peek and Yousif Aljamal combined for 23 points and eight rebounds as SLR ended a six-game losing spell, notching a fifth win against 11 losses.

The Realtors secure a spot in the wildcards with one more win or one loss each by the Express (3-13) and the Barako Energy Coffee Masters (3-13).

SLR has Alaska Milk and Coca-Cola as last two assignments in the double-round-robin elimination phase.

“It’s really hard to look at the team without Kelly and Ryan. After the trade, the next six games were really tough,” said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez.

“It’s been a while. Those six games were learning experience for us. We tried to find a solution, we made adjustments and I’m happy we finally won again,” Fernandez added.

LeRoy Hickerson, Air21’s prized find, had another explosive performance with 37 points and 19 rebounds but it was not enough to save the team from reeling back to the cellar.

The Realtors torched Hickerson and his teammates with a 72.2-percent shooting in the third quarter as they opened up a 21-point spread and went on to complete the rout.

Sta. Lucia finished with a 55-percent clip as against Air21’s 36-percent shooting.

The Express actually came out strong, fighting the Realtors through three deadlocks and 10 lead changes before their third-quarter meltdown.

They went 7-of-25 (25.9 percent) from the field in the third quarter and failed to recover, trailing by as many as 33 points in the final quarter.

“I’m very happy with this win which I hope change our outlook. Wildcard plays would be very tough but at least it gives you the chance to make the quarters,” said Fernandez.