MANILA, Philippines - Air21’s long, agonizing wait to notch a first win in the pro league is over.
Getting a boost with their acquisition of Bitoy Omolon, Mark Isip and Marcus Douthit, the Express thumped the Barako Bull Energy, 97-88, in a rousing debut in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo last night.
Coming off an embarrassing 0-14 showing in the Philippine Cup, the Express seemed to pour all their frustrations in this game, converting 80 percent of their shots as they pulled away, 33-13, right in the opening quarter.
They got to a swashbuckling start and led all the way to the finish, dealing Barako a second straight loss following a triumphant tournament debut versus Alaska Milk.
“We need somebody like Marcus to uplift the confidence of the players. The acquisition of Omolon and Isip obviously also helped,” said Air21 coach Franz Pumaren, himself scoring a first win as a PBA head coach.
“I had a strange feeling we’ll get this because we practiced very well in the last two days. The moment Marcus stepped on the floor, everybody was in a good mood,” Pumaren also said.
Pumped-up by the presence of the Smart Gilas naturalized player, the Express came out smoking, making all their first nine field attempts and ending up with a remarkable 12-of-15 shooting in the first canto.
RJ Jazul knocked in 3-of-3 three-pointers and Renren Ritualo added one trey to highlight the Express’ early blitzkrieg that set the tone of the rout.
Omolon, a transferee from Meralco, took over in the second period, firing nine in the quarter and going on to top score for the team with 17 points.
Douthit, who’s just back in the country after completing a tour of duty in the Chinese league, piled up 16 points and 17 rebounds while Jazul, Mark Sena and Isip added at least 10 points apiece.
Pumaren said the addition of Omolon and Isip improved their lineup a notch higher.
“Compared to last conference, we’re really better now. But in terms of competitiveness, I think we still need some more pieces to be there,” Pumaren said.
With the Petron Blaze locals doing their share, the Boosters finally nailed their first win in the conference, drubbing the erstwhile unbeaten B-Meg Llamados, 84-77, in the nightcap.
“We had a bull session and I told our locals they need to support Nick (Fazekas). The respond was obviously good,” said Petron coach Ato Agustin.
Stunned by the Express’ strong start, the Energy hardly recovered, getting to within seven only with a few seconds left to play.
Going down the drain was Dermarr Johnson’s game-high 37-point output that went with 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
They fell way behind right in the opening quarter as they struggled with a 3-of-16 clip.
The Express led by as many as 25 points before settling for a 57-36 spread at the half.
The scores:
First Game
Air21 97 – Omolon 17, Douthit 16, Jazul 15, Sena 13, Isip 10, Escobal 7, Duncil 6, Hubalde 5, Ritualo 5, Espiritu 3, Mirza 0, Faundo 0.
Barako 88 – Johnson 37, Miller 14, Arboleda 12, Najorda 9, Allado 6, Seigle 4, Lanete 2, Pennisi 2, Pena 2, Weinstein 0, Salvador 0, Tubid 0.
Quarterscores: 33-13, 57-36, 77-60, 97-88
Second Game
Petron 84 – Fazekas 23, Yeo 15, Cabagnot 14, Miranda 12, Santos 10, Guevarra 6, Agustin 2, Ildefonso 2, Sharma 0, Tugade 0.
B-Meg 77 – Bowles 22, J. Yap 16, Simon 12, Devance 9, Pingris 7, Barroca 4, R. Yap 3, Intal 2, Reavis 2, Urbiztondo 0, De Ocampo 0.
Quarterscores: 29-16, 45-36, 66-56, 84-77 - By Nelson Beltran (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)
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