Crispa overcame Toyota's fourth quarter
rally to gain a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series and move one
victory shy of capturing the 1976 PBA Second Conference crown. The
trio of Bernie Fabiosa, Atoy Co and Cyrus Mann carried the fight for
the Denims in repeating over the Silver Tamaraws.
Crispa edges Toyota
Denims a game away from title
By Ding Marcelo
Bulletin Today
Published Monday November 15, 1976
Crispa uncorked a strong finishing kick
last night to subdue Toyota, 98-93, for its second straight win that
moved the Denims to within a game of clinching the best-of-five
series for the PBA second conference title.
Like in their first game, the trio of
Bernard Fabiosa, Fortunato Co and Cyrus Mann were the heroes for the
Redmanizers as they came up with the decisive blows that firmly
stopped a searing Toyota rally in the tension-laden contest watched
by an overflow of some 35,000 at the Araneta Coliseum.
A resurgent Co, uncharacteristically
cold for three quarters, suddenly found his range in the last period
and together with Rodolfo Soriano gave Baby Dalupan's boys their
biggest of 14 points, 88-74.
Just when everybody thought the the
Redmanizers would run away with the game, the Silver Tamaraws, the
Comets' new name, came up with a cripping 12-0 barrage to close the
gap at 86-88, 4:30 remaining.
A 7-4 cluster by Philip Cezar, Mann and
Alfredo Hubalde eased the pressure somehow, 95-90, but Robert
Jaworski, in a sterling evening-long performance, cut down the lead
to only two again with three straight points, 93-95, 60 seconds left,
before Fabiosa split his charities off Joaquin Rojas, Jr. for a 96-93
Crispa advantage.
Jaworski had a chance to farther narrow
the gap ton the next play but referee Venusto Marquez slapped a
charging foul on him, a call that nearly caused pandemonium as debris
immediately piled up the floor.
The partisan crowd was as infuriated as
Toyota coach Dante Silverio who said his team would never win against
Crispa until they get a fair officiating.
“It is obvious we are playing against
seven men,” he said after the game.
Crispa's triumph moved it into a
position in which it stands on the threshold of making a first in the
history of the infant PBA by sharing the crown via a 3-0 win in their
best-of-five series.
Three of the four titles were decided
on a 3-1 score while Crispa won the All-Philippine championship which
it will be defending right after this tournament through a 3-2 edge.
Dalupan had summoned a will to
greatness during a pep talk with his boys before the game and his
call to charge found its epitome in Fabiosa, who topscored for Crispa
with 18 points while blazing the whole court with his dazzling speed.
There, too, was Mann, who definitely was up in his titanic one-on-one
struggle with Toyota's two imports, Byron “Snake” Jones and
Howard Smith.
Mann's sparkling rebounds, in which he
was credited with 13 of Crispa's 56 total, as well as his defensive
gems intimidated the entire Toyota crew.
“It's always rough when you play a
game with Toyota,” Mann commented at the dressing room when showing
a swollen right thumb. “But its part of the game. You always have
to work harder each time you enter the court,” Mann said.
The Redmanizers controlled most of the
proceedings as they took all quarters, including the first, in which
the Silver Tamaraws were ahead by five at one point, 21-16.
The Redmanizers gun for the clincher
tomorrow at 7:45 p.m. while in the first game at 6 p.m., U-Tex will
aim for a second win after turning the tables on Royal Tru-Orange,
119-111 to level at 1-all in their own series for third place.
Royal's Carl Bird led all scorers anew
with 54 points but lack of enough supporting fire again proved to be
the Orangement's undoing.
Dan Knight and Lee Haven sparked the
Wranglers with 32 and 24 points, respectively, as Narciso Bernardo's
boys avenged their 127-122 loss to Ning Ramos' charges last Friday.
Jaworski, who helped gave Toyota some
of its finest moments on the court, finished with 19 points, 13 of
them in the wild final quarter in which tension was so high a minor
incident would seem enough to touch of a riot.
Also with 19 were Ramon Fernandez and
Francis Arnaiz, who fouled out with 1:50 remaining and who also have
been summoned to the PBA office for reportedly making a dirty hand
sign at the referee.
Crispa – 98
Fabiosa 18
Co 16
Mann 14
P. Cezar 13
Soriano 11
Hubalde 9
Guidaben 8
Franco 6
Bunton 3
Dionisio 0
Varela 0
Toyota – 93
Arnaiz 19
Fernandez 19
Jaworski 19
Jones 15
Acuna 10
Smith 7
Segura 2
Tolentino 2
Bauzon 0
Marcelo 0
Rojas 0
Crispa 24 20 26 28 – 98
Toyota 23 15 26 29 – 93
Refs: J. Obias, V. Marquez
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