Crispa pulled away in the fourth quarter to dampen Toyota’s chances of reaching the quarterfinal round of the 1983 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference.
Crispa rips Toyota; Great Taste in semis
By Clyde Mariano
Tempo
Published Friday July 1, 1983
Crispa banked on another explosive finish to crush arch rival Toyota, 124-108, even as title contender Great Taste virtually nailed down a semifinal berth with a 159-128 thrashing of Gilbey’s Gin in the PBA reinforced Filipino conference last night at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Redmanizers dropped a 15-0 opening salvo against the Super Corollas who started like a bunch of amateurs playing in the limelight for the first time.
And although Toyota recovered from the whirlwind attack by the fired-up Redmanizers, taking the first quarter, 28-27, and the half, 55-54, the Super Corollas wilted under Crispa’s powerful windup, starring the incomparable Billy Ray Bates, to absorb their seventh loss in 11 starts.
The defeat put a damper on Toyota’s bid to enter the quarterfinal phase, with hard games coming up against Great Taste and first round tormentor Tanduay.
“Medyo bumigay ang kanilang depensa (Their defense gave way),” lamented coach Ed Ocampo at the dugout.
New import Julius Wayne was hardly a factor, making only 12 points for the night. Arnulfo Tuadles, the new controversial Toyota forward, was also a dismal failure, shooting only two points.
Ramon Fernandez, Abe King and Francis Arnaiz were great shakes but they did not get the support from their teammates.
To qualify for the next phase, Toyota must sweep its last three games and hope for a San Miguel Beer setback. Otherwise, the Super Corollas will join Galerie Dominique on the sidelines for the rest of the tournament.
The 159 output of the Coffee Makers set a new season high, erasing the 148 record by Gilbey’s against Toyota — last Saturday.
The combined Great Taste-Gilbey’s production of 287 also surpassed the total score chalked by Toyota and the Gimlets in Cagayan de Oro last June 25.
“The boys played well and their defense was quite effective,” GTC coach Jimmy Mariano said.
The troika of Norman Black, William Adornado and Ricardo Brown once again proved decisive for GTC which notched its ninth win in 11 matches.
“Medyo wala sa kundisyon ang mga bata (The boys were not in shape),” was all losing coach Turo Valenzona could mutter.
The Gimlets took their fifth defeat in 11 games but they maintained a firm hold on third spot.
The individual scores:
CRISPA 124 — Bates 40, Co 18, Cezar 17, Guidaben 12, Fabiosa 11, Varela 10, Villamin 8, Hubalde 4, Israel 4, Cruz 0.
TOYOTA 108 — Fernandez 35, King 24, Arnaiz 12, Wayne 12, Jaworski 7, Bulaong 7, Cordero 6, Tuadles 2, Loyzaga 0, Legaspi 0, Relosa 0.
Quarterscores: 27-28, 54-55, 82-81, 124-108.
