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THERE’S no denying the workhorses of Sta. Lucia Realtors of their
only second crown since joining the league in 1993, as they crushed
the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, 100-88, Sunday in game 7 of the
championship series of the 33rd Smart-PBA Philippine Cup before a
frenzied crowd at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Realtors, whose only title thus far was the
Governor’s Cup in 2001, showed enough guts and determination
in the times that mattered most and staged an 11-0 blast for a
commanding 90-80 2:44 minutes left in the game. Since then, Sta.
Lucia’s defense choked the Purefoods snipers for good en route to
its first All-Filipino Cup title since joining the league.
Sta. Lucia also outscored Purefoods in the final quarter, 29-18, in
a fitting end to the long series, 4-3.
Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez, who won his
first ever PBA championship, said he was really happy. “I thank
the Lord, my players and my staff for this.”
Yap fired nine points to open the final canto
and give Purefoods a precarious 80-79 lead, but he was held
scoreless in the last six minutes by the pesky defense of Sta.
Lucia’s prized rookie Ryan Reyes and Dennis Miranda.
“I just told them they’ve got to believe in
themselves, believe in their coach, believe in the system,” team
owner Buddy Encarnado said. “We did not make it here because of
sheer luck, we showed that we can play more with patience and
dedication. And now, people have really got to believe because
whether they like or not, we are the champions,” Encarnado said.
Veteran Realtor Dennis Espino of Angeles City
scored 29 points on top of five rebounds, one block and
one assist for the Finals MVP plum. The former UST Growling Tiger
averaged 18.6 points on 58 percent field goal shooting in the
series.
“I don’t really understand my feeling now.
It’s been really long that we have this desire of winning an
All-Filipino championship,” said the 35-year-old Espino.
Sta. Lucia looked headed for the breakaway and
dropped a 14-0 bomb in the opening of the third quarter, but
Purefoods struck back hard and scored a blistering 19-9 run anchored
on Peter June Simon’s 14 third quarter points.
-- Frank Calapre
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