Toyota completed a sweep of the 1978 PBA third conference eliminations by beating Crispa, but much of the attention was on Tanduay’s win over U-Tex that put the Esquires in the championship series against the Tamaraws.
Tanduay tops U-Tex five
By Ding Marcelo
Bulletin Today
Published Wednesday Dec. 6, 1978
Tanduay ended a four-year quest for a championship berth last night by ramming down U-Tex, 98-92, to arrange a best-of-five showdown with Toyota for the PBA third conference title starting tomorrow.
The title-hungry Esquires leaned on the sprightly legs and steady fire of 34-year-old Freddie Webb to score the victory and assure Tanduay its loftiest finish in the league.
The Tamaraws completed a sweep of the elimination round with a 109-104 win over the slumping Crispa Redmanizers, who finished fourth in the elims with a 1-3 card.
It was Toyota’s seventh straight win under new coach Fortunato Acuna, who took over from Dante Silverio late in the second conference.
Webb finished with 14 points, 10 of them in the torrid fourth quarter, that saw Tanduay firmly pull away after being held to the gamed’s last tie at 84-all, six minutes to go.
A 14-8 burst after that tie sealed the victory for the Esquires before some 15,000 spectators at the Araneta Coliseum, who came in more for the Crispa-Toyota match than the more important Tanduay-U-Tex encounter.
“First of all it was defense that pulled us through,” said Webb amid the pandemonium inside the Tanduay dugout as the Esquires shouted, banged their fists on the wall, hugged each other and expressed all other means of joyous exultation at the victory.
“We played as a team and personally, U-Tex seemed more dualistic. They were also unlucky,” added Webb, who sat out two quarters before being fielded in to provide speed for the Esquires.
So unlucky indeed was U-Tex that even its star, Glenn McDonald, could not buy more than one field goal in the fourth quarter in a dismal overall performance that saw him convert only 11 of 34 attempts from the field.
“I think we should give it to the boys,” said Tanduay coach Carlos Loyzaga. “They played hard and they wanted to win. They are also hungry for a title and you can see it in their determination to win.”
Loyzaga also feels that his team has more than a fare chance against Toyota when they start their championship series.
And Silverio, who now acts as the Tams’ team manager, said it would be easier for his team had they met U-Tex for the title.
Even U-Tex coach Tommy Manotoc, who steered the Wranglers to their first PBA crown last month, conceded that even if they made it to the finals, they would have a very difficult time against Toyota.
“Tanduay has a better chance than us,” Manotoc said. “Their Americans are taller and I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting series.”
Tanduay’s imports David Payne and Gene Moore more than held their own against the celebrated duo of McDonald and Byron “Snake” Jones.
They combined for 40 points against 49 of McDonald and Jones but in the end, it was heady support of Tanduay’s Filipino players who brought the Esquires to their first championship series.
Victor Sanchez and Rene Canent, another veteran from the Yco days together with Webb, were also key figures in Tanduay’s victory. They scored 13 points apiece with Canent credited with the insurance basket, 96-88, 2:05 to go.
U-Tex seemed to have blown a golden chance to win the game when the Wranglers saddled Moore with five fouls barely one minute gone in the fourth quarter.
But they failed to foul him out and this, in a sense, contributed to their loss as Moore repeatedly scored particularly off McDonald, who himself got five fouls with still four minutes to go.
The scores:
Toyota — 109
Terry 26
Fernandez 18
Sta. Maria 12
B. King 12
Javier 9
Arnaiz 8
Salazar 8
Jaworski 6
Bulaong 4
Estrada 4
Legaspi 2
Crispa — 104
Cezar 19
Mann 18
Fabiosa 17
Adornado 17
Guidaben 12
Dionisio 6
Truitt 6
Hubalde 5
Javier 2
D.L. Cruz 0
Tanduyan 0
Quarterscores: 20-all, 53-48, 75-76, 109-104
Toyota 20 33 22 34 — 109
Crispa 20 28 28 28 — 104
Refs: R. Bartolome, F. Santaroina, T. de los Reyes
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