Sports: Petron Battles Rain or Shine in Dumaguete City
On June 23, a Saturday, the new-look Petron Blaze Boosters test the mettle of
an upstart Rain or Shine side at the Lamberto Macias Gym in the capital city of
Dumaguete on the ‘other’ side of Negros Island in Negros Oriental.
Your Sideline Spectator is making this piece here in Dumaguete City while ‘soul-searching’ and contemplating as well whether or not to pursue my Law studies at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos where I am an incoming sophomore this school year.
The laid back atmosphere here is somewhat a refreshing sight to see while having late dinner at Jo’s Chicken Inato (relocated here from Bacolod City) and downing a bottle of ice-cold Red Horse beer at the Boulevard amid the dizzying flow of motorcycles going to and fro.
My first-time visit here in this Negros Oriental city reminded me of the upcoming Philippine Basketball Association out-of-town encounter between Petron of Coach Ato Agustin and mentor Yeng Guiao’s Rain or Shine at the Lamberto Macias Gym on the 23rd of next month.
This road encounter will be the fourth for the season-ending tourney of the PBA’s 2011-12 season after the Ginebra-Meralco meeting in Lapu-Lapu City on June 2 followed by the B-Meg versus Air21 duel in Digos in Davao on the 9th and the Alaska-Talk ‘N Text slambang affair in Tubod, Lanao del Norte on June 16.
On the 30th, it will be the Llamados going up against Powerade in Legazpi City in Albay for the PBA’s Third Conference which features imports not over 6-5 in height. Hopefully, I could have a second visit to Dumaguete City for the Petron-RoS game folks...
So far, Petron, RoS, Meralco and Barangay Ginebra have won their respective initial assignments in the Governor’s Cup. Last Friday at the Big Dome, it was Powerade meeting Barako Bull and Commissioner’s Cup winner B-Meg testing the Elasto Painters’ mettle in a pair of explosive matches.
This Saturday over at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City, Petron and Meralco square off in the opening game followed by the Air21-TNT duel in the nightcap while this Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Alaska and Barako Bull go up against each other in the curtain-raiser with B-Meg and Ginebra battlling in the main game.
Last May 20 in Antipolo, Rain or Shine bested Alaska, 107-100, while Petron outlasted Powerade, 97-83, behind import Eddie Basden’s heroics. Three days later, the Kings demolished the Express, 103-85, while the Bolts finally won over the Tropang Texters, 105-99, since taking over the defunct Sta Lucia Realtors in 2010.
Talk ‘N Text missed the services of its main players like Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes and Harvey Carey in yielding to sister team Meralco although the Bolts had some anxious moments before taking the win with TNT’s Paul Harris, the reactivated Aaron Aban and Ranidel de Ocampo taking charge for Coach Chot Reyes’ depleted squad.
As for the Bolts, American-Nigerian reinforcement Champ Oguchi and Solomon Mercado bailed Meralco out of trouble by combining for 53 markers while Negrense Reynel Hugnatan won Best Player of the Game honors after scoring 12 points on top of 12 rebounds, 10 of them offensively, in 38 minutes on 5-of-10 shooting from the field.
Newly acquired Meralco big man Jay-R Reyes had a silent one-point production for his new team after getting traded from Alaska for erstwhile Bolts forward Gabby Espinas while Macmac Cardona finished with 15 markers for Coach Ryan Gregorio’s charges.
By the way, at 10 pm of May 23, 2012, my beloved Lola Irene (Rening) Palmares Vda De Santotome joined her Creator at the very ripe age of 88, just a few days after I visited her at our hometown in Passi City, Iloilo last May 18...Lola Rening, as your eldest ‘apo’, I will never forget the love, the care and the wisdom which you’ve shared to us your grandsons and granddaughters, may the Good Lord bless you always wherever you are right now. We will miss you Lola Rening...love you!*
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