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By Joel Orellana, Reporter
RED BULL came out with a perfect
game plan even if its head coach is watching the team at the
sideline.
The Bulls silenced Coca-Cola’s
explosive import Anthony Johnson and their locals stepped up big
offensively to hack out a 102-90 victory Sunday night and grab the
lead in the TNT-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.
Red Bull entered the game without
head coach Yeng Guiao, who opted to watch the match behind the bench
due to uncertainty on election rules, but assistant Gee Abanilla
just carried out the game plan to perfection as the Bulls notch
their third straight win for a league-leading 6-1 mark.
“For the safe side lang pero
legally speaking, puwede naman. Hinihintay niya lang ang hard copy
ng [Comelec] ruling,” said Abanilla ,who is beginning to prove
that he’s an able replacement for Guiao whenever he’s out of the
court.
“We still share
responsibilities although siya pa rin naman tumatawag ng
substitution, timeouts. During halftime sa dugout, he still tells us
what to do,” Abanilla added.
Abanilla has now a 3-2 win-loss
slate while subbing for Guiao, who is seeking reelection as
vice-governor of Pampanga this coming May.
James Penny had a team-high 21
points but more than his offense was his defense on Johnson, who was
shut down to a tournament-low 21 markers after averaging 31.8 points
in the first six games.
“From the start, yun na ang
plano namin na ilagay si James kay Johnson. Kung hindi mag-work, may
Plan B naman kami,” said Abanilla, who also drew solid games from
Larry Fonacier and Cyrus Baguio in the win.
Fonacier hit 17 points, including
a 25-foot three-pointer that gave Red Bull a 97-86 cushion with 2:16
left in the game. Baguio chipped in 16 points, 7 rebounds and 8
assists.
“We really have guys capable of
scoring like Larry and Cyrus but we came out more active on defense
tonight especially in the second half,” Abanilla added.
The Tigers, who slipped to 3-4,
were still in the thick of the fight after Dennis Miranda
converted an acrobatic lay-up, 77-79, with 7:21 remaining.
The scores:
Red Bull 102—Penny 28, Fonacier
17, Baguio 16, Cruz 9, Hrabak 9, Robinson 5, Valenzuela 5,
Alvarez 4, Villanueva 4, Ybanez 3, Najorda 2, Bugia 0, Sharma
0.
Coca-Cola 90—Johnson 21, Peek
21, Miranda 16, Arigo 13, Antonio 10, Avenido 5, Misolas 2, Tolomia
2, Pacana 0, Sotto 0.
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