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Saturday, September 18, 2004
Realtors subdue Sokor players
THE closing minutes of the Sta. Lucia Realtors-SK Knights encounter Wednesday brought back an eerie memory of the Philippines' painful loss to South Korea in the semifinals of the 2002 Busan Asian games.
Thanks to Kenneth Duremdes, a member of that RP Team, the Realtors escaped a nightmarish ending and held off a gallant stand by the visiting South Koreans, 1106-103 at the start of the Philippine Basketball Association-Korean Basketball League (PBA-KBL) goodwill series.
Duremdes, who spent most of the last conference healing his injured calf, fired away 38 points including two insurance free throws with 16 seconds left to cushion the impact of Kris Lang's jumper that pulled the South Korea (SK) Knights to within 103-104 two seconds earlier.
The game was close and physical. Nobody would have thought it was just a goodwill series.
Obviously, the presence of two American reinforcements - former Purefoods imports Leonard White and National Basketball Developmental League campaigner Lang - enabled the Sokors to keep the game close.
Both teams were all business right from the opening tip with the Sokors coming out aggressively as if they were playing at home.
The ruggedness of the visitors nearly ruined the game, which was halted briefly early in the second quarter when fight almost broke loose after some pushing and shoving between Dennis Espino and White.
The Realtors dictated the pace for most part and posted the game's biggest lead at 75-64 late in the third quarter.
But the Sokors, beef-up by 10 men's and junior national team players that included Sang Hyun Cho and Hee Chul Chun - both members of the South Korean team who inflicted the Filipino's heartbreaking loss in Busan - wouldn't go away.
Espino scored 16 points, Paolo Mendoza had 15 and Gerald Francisco and MArlou Aquino added 13 and 11 apiece for the Realtors.
Duremdes, who appeared comfortable with the new ball the league will use this season, was in a zone in the second half scoring 27 points, including nine straight points that broke a 94-all count and put the Realtors aheadto stay, 103-96, with 2:11 to go.
White, who played for Purefoods in the 2003 Governors Cup, led the visitors with 36 points while Cho added 28.
The scores:
Sta. Lucia 106- Duremdes 38, Espino 16, Mendoza 15, Francisco 13,
Aquino 11, Omolon 6, Adriano 4, Santos 3, Gonzales 0, Ong 0, Victolero 0, Cuan
0.
SK Knights 103-White 36, Cho 28, Lang 15, Chun 9, Lim 7, Jeon 4, Park 2, Kim 2, Lee 0.
Quarters: 30-29; 56-50; 79-73; 106-103. PR
(September 18, 2004 issue)
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