Basketball
Yeng Guiao admits missing Felix Lemetti as slower RoS drops three of last four games
It’s never easy losing key cogs to injuries, but Sunday night proved to be a harsh reminder of how much Rain or Shine missed Felix Lemetti following the beatdown it received from Ginebra in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Sunday.
What was thought to be a playoff-like matchup became a one-team show in the Kings’ favor, as they shot the lights out from deep while limiting the run-and-gun Elasto Painters to only nine fastbreak points toward the masterful 114-90 victory.
It was easily their lowest in this conference after averaging 24.6 points off transition before the rivalry affair. And a major reason behind that was not having the pesky playmaker, who’s been the team’s pace-setter.
“Sayang lang; actually Felix got injured again at the time when his game was peaking eh,” head coach Yeng Guiao said moments after the defeat at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, which was already their second in a row.
“Yun yung nawala sa amin eh, ‘no? Plus ‘yung pace that he gives us, and the defense, and the quickness,” added the champion bench tactician.
Lemetti was without a doubt one of RoS’ top players during its fiery 7-0 start in the midseason joust until a right knee injury—later found to be a partial ACL tear—sidelined him for the rest of the tournament, at least.
Without him, the Elasto Painters have struggled to maintain the same pace they had when he was still around. After bowing to the now-2-seed Kings, they’ve now lost thrice in their last four outings, dropping to 8-3 in the process.
(C) PBA Images
In all fairness, they still managed to average 23.0 points in their first three outings sans the 27-year-old Fil-Swede, but it was really against the crowd darlings where his presence could’ve made a lot of difference.
Guiao, however, refuses to make excuses whatsoever, adding that it also became difficult for his men to keep up with a Ginebra team that shot extremely well, most especially from deep, as evidenced by the 21 triples it buried.
Rain or Shine felt the same way Terrafirma did during their encounter last April 15, in which it equalled the league’s record for threes made with 23 on the way to a 124-117 win, in the process chalking up its seventh win.
“Hindi talaga para sa amin ‘tong larong ‘to,” he admitted. “They just shot really well. Ginebra really just made their threes. I think they made 21 three-point shots, which is almost the record. They’re two short of the record.
“So, it’s really hard to beat a team shooting that well,” he furthered. “I don’t think we could’ve done anything on our side, sabi ko nga they really shot the ball well, and on our side we couldn’t execute the way we wanted to do.”
For now, all they can do is find ways to address Lemetti’s absence, whether through other players stepping up or possibly fresher schemes.
“Of course, we miss Felix. Pero tanggap na namin ‘yun eh,” Guiao said. “You have to move forward from that, and you have to accept that and embrace that, and find ways to mitigate or find ways to compensate for that.
“We’ll have to look for that somewhere else. Baka may maka-puno nun. Kaya ginagamit pa rin namin ‘yung mga rookies namin, and then we’re trying to pati si Mamu ginagawa naming point guard paminsan just to see how that works out.”
At the same time, they’re trying to get that ninth win, which shall be enough for the Elasto Painters to clinch a Top Four spot and a twice-to-beat incentive.
“Our record’s still good, and the only thing that’s important to us is to make nine wins, get a twice-to-beat advantage, and then wait for your matchup and prepare for them,” said the 67-year-old mentor.
The post Yeng Guiao admits missing Felix Lemetti as slower RoS drops three of last four games appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
NLEX took the solo lead in Group A following a convincing 110-96 victory over the erstwhile perfect San Miguel to extend its unbeaten run to four in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
In a game where they showed a bit of everything, the Road Warriors went on a tear in the second chapter, inflated the lead to its biggest at 25 in the third, and then displayed solid poise in the defining chapter to put the Beermen away.
Robert Bolick connected on a four, then came Robbie Herndon with a triple not long after as that 7-0 spurt pushed their lead back to 99-84 with 6:23 to go, and that proved to be enough to restore order after their foes cut the gap to eight.
DeQuan Jones took over afterward to lead the strong closeout as they went on to become the lone team without a loss thus far as the Beermen fell to 3-1.
In what’s becoming a trend since Coach Jimmy Alapag arrived, NLEX leaned on another balanced attack that saw a five finish in double figures
Jones himself led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Deschon Winston finished with 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists as he triggered the 14-0 run in the second chapter for a 44-27 lead that set the tone for the rout.
Tony Semerad had 15 points as his long bombs helped put together the solid finish. Bolick came just short of a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists while Herndon added 13 markers to lead the bench mob.
The post NLEX hands San Miguel first loss, claims solo PBA Group A lead appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Joseph Yeo and Chris Tiu rekindled their legendary partnership as Xavier School edged the James Yap-led Hua Siong College-Iloilo, 75-72, in Game 1 of the 40 Years Division finals of the Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. on Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Though no longer as quick or explosive as they were in their prime, the Powersox-AcroCity-backed Xavier stars remained deadly from beyond the arc, delivering clutch baskets down the stretch to topple the defending champions in the opener of their best-of-three title series before a sizable crowd.
The Golden Stallions now stand one win away from the championship and a measure of revenge after falling to Hua Siong in last year’s finals. They can seal the title with another victory on Monday.
Yeo turned back the clock with a game-high 30 points, highlighted by four three-pointers, to outduel fellow PBA great James Yap. He scored Xavier’s final seven points, including a crucial triple that stretched the lead to 71-66 late in the contest.
Yap answered with 18 points, knocking down two booming three-pointers, but his efforts were not enough as the Lamtex Pipes-backed Hua Siong absorbed its first loss after sweeping all eight elimination-round games. Hua Siong had also cruised past GT Radial-Grace Christian College, 108-74, in the semifinals.
Tiu also played a key role in the victory, finishing with 17 points while sinking two of Xavier’s 13 three-pointers. Hua Siong, meanwhile, connected on nine triples.
In the battle for third place, Grace Christian College rolled past SCAG-St. Stephen’s, 60-40, behind Allan Anson Tan’s 20-point performance to finish third in the nine-team tournament.
With Yap struggling to find his rhythm late, Ken Bono tried to keep Hua Siong within striking distance, but Xavier would not be denied.
The league is backed by Smart Sports, Tanduay Athletics, Genius Hardware, Ultraforce Tires, Cellboy, PGFlex Linoleum, Boysen, Lamtex Pipes, Jiang Nan, Hangry Pares, Powerhouse Tools, L.F. Fireworks, BYD Valenzuela, BAIC, Jetour, Yong Kee Roasting House, 1118 Autospa, and TCL.
The post Xavier moves one win away from Fil-Chi crown behind Joseph Yeo, Chris Tiu appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Ramon Cao asserted himself in the endgame to help Macau complete a 132-126 comeback win over Titan Ultra to break through in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The reliable big man finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds as he basically took it upon himself to bring the Giant Risers home after seeing themselves staring at a 120-119 deficit with 1:52 remaining.
He scored seven straight to give themselves the 126-120 lead with 31.1 seconds left, which were enough to put them ahead permanently while the opposition could only try to answer back but to no avail
De’Vondre Perry helped him out to keep their foes at bay before Cao applied the final blow with a cleanup from point-blank as the former Bay Area Dragons forward produced 11 of Macau’s last 13 points of the bout.
With this, the guest team improved to 1-4 while sending Titan crashing back to earth after beating TNT previously.
The post PBA: Ramon Cao powers Macau’s stunning comeback to first win at Titan’s expense appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
-
News5 months agoCamilla Lamina shows calm leadership even off the bench
-
DLSU5 months agoShan Nunag shows composure beyond year in La Salle debut
-
Football5 months ago
2026 Uganda Cup: The confirmed fixtures, venues & kick off times at round of 32
-
Foreign Pros5 months ago
‘Eric Chelle must pay compensation to quit Super Eagles post’
-
Football5 months ago
Divine Mukasa plays full time as Leicester City bows out of FA Cup to Southampton
-
Cricket News5 months agoT20 World Cup 2026: 'We've got to stay positive' – Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott remains hopeful of reaching Super 8 despite back-to-back losses
-
Others6 months ago
Sarah Babirye Kityo: The majestic return to 12th Parliament, to front sports talent development
-
CAF6 months agoAFCON 2025: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and Why African Football Is at a Crossroads