Monday, March 31, 2008 Undermanned Welcoat falls short vs. Air21
MANILA—The Air21 Express spoiled the debut of coach Caloy Garcia in the professional league as they pulled-off an impressive 105-96 win over the Welcoat Dragons yesterday at the formal opening of the 2008 Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Express, despite missing four key players to injuries, showed the level of intensity that made them one of the brightest prospect for the crown as they played with their usual tight defensive gems all throughout the match.
“I do not know if our commitment to defend had a great effect in the game. I think this a good sign for us. Hopefully, we will be able to always do better each game,” said Air21 coach Bo Perasol.
Coach Perasol was forced to use only eight players in their opening match, but four of them, led by Ranidel de Ocampo finished with double digits. Six-foot-8 import Steven Thomas also showed a lot of promise by scoring 23 points on top of 15 rebounds and a block.
“Thomas (Steven) played the best game ever in all the five tuneup matches that we have had before the conference starts. I believed he has still many things to show and he is about to prove it now,” said Perasol. (FCC)
