Defending PCCL Champs Fail to Adavnce

• The DLSU Green Archers failed to reach the Elite 8 in the PCCL after winning it all last year as they were defeated by an undermanned Letran Knights, 83-72. The Knights led by double figures in the 1st half behind the 12 points of Kevin Alas and Archers' horrible shooting. The Archers then went on a run anchored by Joshua Webb at the end of the 1st half to diminish the lead of the Knights to a solitary point by halftime. It looked like the Archers were ready to take over the lead in the 2nd half but they struggled to manufacture points once again as they could not knock down a shot from the outside. At the Knights end of things, Jaypee Belencion and Reymar Gutilban started to wax hot from the outside. It was like a replay of the 1st half. The Knights were up big and the Archers could not buy a basket. But like in the 1st half, the Archers made a furious run and came as close as 5 in the 4th quarter. The Knights were coughing up a lot of TOs and Arvie Bringas was starting to get hot. Jaypee then came back in and hit a couple more shots and Bringas was taken out of the game because of a cut in his face. Suddenly the Archers, could not score once again. The Knights reestablished their double-digit lead and did not look back at that point. Both teams played full-court press defense for most of the game(if not the whole). Much of the offense of the Archers came from transition play while Knights got a lot of shots from escaping the Archers' press defense. The Knights played w/o their top 2 players, RJ Jazul and Rey Guevarra. Jaypee Belencion just shot the lights off as he finished with 36 points and a PCCL-record 10 3-pointers. And it wasn't like he did not have a hand in his face when he shot the ball. Coach Franz Pumaren put on different defenders on Belencion to try stop him but to no avail. I believe he's still in his 2nd year so look for more from him in the next couple of years. Kevin Alas carried the Knights in the 1st half as he scored all of his 12 points in the 1st half. This kid just has a lot of dirty tricks. He was caught a couple of times and he even fouled-out when the refs saw him intentionally trip Yutien Andrada. He's fun to watch but the refs need to watch out for him. He will the main man for Knights next year and it seems like he's ready to fill in the shoes left by RJ Jazul. Joshua Webb scored 15 points in the 1st half but he only managed to score 3 points the rest of the way. He did show some flashes of brilliant passing. He will need that next year as he will now be the main man of the Archers. Bringas looks more comfortable in the system. His soft touch inside will make him one of the primary options of DLSU next year. Maybe he can be the Nico Salva of DLSU but his consistency is still a big issue. Simon Atkins was back in action after missing most of the last UAAP season. He did a great job in throwing out outlet passes but unfortunately, his teammates were not able to convert his passes to points. He still needs to work on his shooting but his mere presence on the court definitely helped the Archers. PJ Barua was a non-factor as he finished the game with only 2 points and 1-10 shooting. Joel Tolentino was still quick as a cat and did a great job pushing the tempo but like Atkins, he failed to manufacture easy shots for his teammates. The Archers played w/o James Managahas and Bader Malabes. The Archers sorely need a perimeter who can create a shot for himself and his teammates. Kevin Alas was supposed to be that guy but he choose to play for his father in Letran. Kiefer Ravena surely fits the bill but I believe it's still a long shot that he will choose DLSU over ADMU. The Archers will also need to work on their outside shooting. Watching these Archers, I realized how lucky the Eagles to have a guy like Jai Reyes.
• In the other game last Wednesday, the ADMU Eagles advanced to the Elite 8 as they disposed the ISAA champions, Lyceum Pirates. It wasn't a blowout from the get go as the Eagles needed some time to heat up. The Eagles started the rampage in the 2nd quarter and continued it up to the 3rd quarter. They led as much as 27 but the Pirates capitalized on the Eagles' complacency as they came as close as 8 in the last quarter. Nico Salva led the way for the Loyola-based squad as he finished the game with 17 points including 10 in the 3rd quarter. Jai Reyes played with poise as usual with his clutch baskets and leadership. They will surely miss his presence next year as Eman Monfort has yet to develop the presence on the court that Jai was able to give Coach Norman Black. Current RP Patriot Nonoy Baclao and Smart-Gilas member Ryan Buenafe played but Finals MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini did not. ISAA MVP Jospeh Abaya looked very impressive as he led the Pirates with 17 points. His fade-away jumper from top of the key is very deadly and reliable.
  
• There have no upsets so far in the 2009 edition of the PCCL. All the higher ranked teams have won their assignments. The Letran win over DLSU might be branded as an upset considering the Knights did not have their top 2 players but the Knights were still given a higher seeding in the tournament for the their Final 4 finish in their tournament compared to the Archers who did not reach the Final 4 in their mother league.

Ball Points (10-17-2009)

• It was my first time to watch a PBA game live and I was treated to a boxing match. Wynne Arboleda was ejected for attacking a fan who was throwing P bombs at him. BK has already apologized to the fan in their official statement (Thank FQ and Fmango for this one) but I haven't read anything about any sanctions the PBA will hand to Wynne. This topic has been getting so much attention so I won't dwell on this too much anymore.
• Because of the Arboleda incident, not much attention was given to the Gilas' loss in their 1st official game in the PBA. I'll have to admit that I am very disappointed with Gilas. They already had a 13 point lead and they still lost. The Gilas program is still very young and has a long way to go. If you think about it, these players from Gilas are just a bunch of untested rookie role players in the PBA. JVee wouldn't score 28 points if he was drafted by a PBA team. Rico, Ogie and Marcy who were all supposed to be part of the Gilas team aren't the superstars of their teams (yet). They just come in, provide energy and play quality minutes. This is not an excuse for them to let the rough (and dirty) play eat them alive though. This kids have to grow up because we need men to play against the Haddadis and the El Khatibs.
• Hey! Let's not all forget the NCAA Final 4! As expected, SBC has advanced to the Finals for the 4 straight year as they defeated an undermanned Knights 82-76. It wasn't an easy win as expected though. The Knights' tough defense was enough to keep them in the game despite not having their uber athletic SF, Rey Guevarra. It would have been a treat if Rey was on the hard court. In the other F4 match-up, the Bombers were able to force a do-or-die a game on Monday with a 72-65 win over the Stags. This is the Stags' 3rd consecutive loss and their 4th loss in their last 5 games so momentum will definitely be on the Bomber's side but Coach Ato will be given a chance to adjust. Plus, he will have an intact lineup on Monday as Jimbo Aquino will be reinstated from suspension by then.
• Things aren't looking so good for the SMB Beerman as they dropped their second straight game to the Alaska Aces in the PBA's first out-of-town game this conference. The Aces pretty much controlled the game for the 1st 3 quarters but the Beermen were able to mount a rally in the 4th and last quarter. They came as close as 1 to the Aces courtesy of Arwind's energy and a couple of open inside looks for Dorian but the Aces' outside shooting was too much for the Beermen. It was their outside sniping that gave them a double digit lead in the 1st 3 quarters and it was also their outside sniping that gave them a comfortable cushion once again in the 4th. Willie Miller knocked down a tough 3 pointer and LA Tenorio followed it up with 2 more as the Aces finally pulled away in the last quarter. Arwind was a non-factor in the 1st half and the shooters of SMB were not connecting from the outside. They sorely missed Pingris' energy (traded to BK then to PF) and Jay Washington's (injured) ability to post mismatches in this game. SMB needs to execute their plays better, run more, play defense and play with a lot of energy and intensity if they want to contend for the championship.