Texters make semis; Express force ‘rubber’

MANILA, Philippines - The Talk n Text Tropang Texters went to their bull-strong import at the paint and Richard Howell delivered and punished the Barangay Ginebra Kings with an overpowering show of offensive and defensive might.

Fully recovered from a back injury, Howell put in a 41-point, 22-rebound performance as the Tropang Texters sustained their amazing unbeaten run and blew past the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 97-84, to clinch the first berth in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Final Four at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Howell imposed himself against local defenders, drawing three quick fouls from Greg Slaughter then making mincemeat of Billy Mamaril and JR Reyes to power the Texters to an early semifinal passage either against the Meralco Bolts or the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

“It’s a little difficult for Ginebra because they’re asking locals to stop Howell. Howell is a pretty good player. He’s really a strong kid,” said TnT coach Norman Black.

“The break also did him well. He’s really energized tonight,” Black added.

It’s an all-Text n Text show as Howell went unstoppable while the TnT wing defenders did their job to neutralize Gabe Freeman.

Talk n Text set the tone of the match early as Slaughter picked up his third foul just six minutes into the contest trying to slow down Howell.

With Slaughter still on the bench, Howell came through with a big binge at the start of the third, and the Texters ripped the game wide open at 60-40.

The Kings had no chance to recover, becoming the third casualty in the mid-season tourney after the Globalport Batang Pier and the Barako Bull Energy Cola.

Earlier, three-year-old PBA franchise Air21 finally notched a first-ever playoff game victory, pulling the rug from under San Miguel Beer, 92-79, to force a do-or-die in their own side of the quarters matchup.

With a big game from Sean Anthony and crucial endgame binges by Wesley Witherspoon and Asi Taulava, the seventh-ranked Express surprised the second-seeded Beermen with a dominant performance that moved them closer to a first-ever semifinal appearance in eight conferences.

Only nine of 72 teams facing a matchup with a twice-to-beat advantage have defied the odds on the way to the semis. The Express hope to become the 10th squad Friday.

“I know this is going to be a short-lived celebration as we play them again Friday. Playing them is tough. I just hope we’ll continue to do what we’re capable of doing,” said Air21 coach Franz Pumaren.

“I’m having a weird feeling as we’re up against my former team that is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its grand slam season (in 1989),” added Pumaren, a former Beerman.

Anthony poured in a personal conference-high 25 points as he hit great stride with Witherspoon and Taulava resting on the bench for quite awhile in the final half due to fouls. 

Witherspoon and Taulava then helped preserve Anthony’s exploits as they checked back strong at crunch time, delivering clutch baskets that stymied the Beermen’s comeback bid.

Witherspoon scored 11 of his 18 points in the last 4:35 of play while Taulava drained two key buzzer-beaters, helping the Express fend off the Beermen’s endgame chase.

More than holding their own at the paint against their taller foes, the Express started with a 10-1 tear and led by as many as 17 at 41-24 before taking the half at 45-34.

The gritty Express also outscored the Beermen, 10-0, on second-chance points in the first two quarters.

Anthony piled up 21 points in the final half as the Express completed a wire-to-wire victory to snap a three-game losing skein. Air21 had actually dropped five of its last six games in the elims.

“Anthony was phenomenal tonight,” said Pumaren of his ward, who delivered a total of 25 points on an amazing 26-minute off-the-bench job.

“Then there’s Asi and Witherspoon who made me look good with their big baskets coming off the bench (at endgame),” Pumaren also said.

Meanwhile, titleholder Alaska Milk and Meralco go for series sweep versus San Mig Coffee and Rain or Shine, respectively, in Day Three of the post-elims play tonight, also at the Big Dome.

Focus will be on the Mixers, who are going all out to keep alive their hopes for a third straight championship.

“Alaska pretty much beat us up in every category (Monday). They are playing with great confidence and momentum, and the Dozier-Thoss combo is tough to crack. Still, we had our chances,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

“You’d always like to get that first game in a short series. Now we have to do it the hard way. Our guys are never afraid of reaching deep to find a way to win,” Cone added.