Tuesday, November 29, 2011

James Yap SHines Again as B-meg Defeats Talk n Text



B-MEG stayed steady when Talk ‘N Text made a run, and the Llamados notched their sixth straight victory, 114-104, to stay in the hunt for one of the top two spots in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Tuesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.


The Llamados kept pushing the ball that tired out the undermanned Tropang Texters, before banking on the clutch shooting of James Yap and Kerby Raymundo as they improved their win-loss mark to 8-4 for the solo third spot.

The win also propelled Petron to the top spot. It was also Talk ‘N Text’s second straight defeat, which caused it to go down to the No. 2 spot with an 8-3 mark.

Yap had another sterling game with 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field while Raymundo added 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Llamados, who went undefeated in November like the Boosters.

“This is the time to take advantage of the opportunity in beating Talk ‘N Text because they are not in their full strength,” said B-MEG coach Tim Cone.

“Give the guys the credit. They didn’t panic. They stick in what we did. Despite the big run [Talk 'N Text] made, they played the same way. It was great discipline by the players.”

Josh Urbiztondo and Peter June Simon netted 15 and 11 points respectively for the Llamados, who led by as much as 17 points before the Tropang Texters made a huge run in the third quarter behind Jimmy Alapag. Talk ‘N Text even took a 78-76 lead entering the fourth period.

B-MEG then unloaded a 23-6 run capped by Yap’s step-back jumper to take a 94-84 lead with 7:12 remaining in the game.

Kelly Williams tried to rally his team back as he engineered a 10-4 exchange to put Talk ‘N Text within four points, 94-98 but Yap, Raymundo and Urbiztondo joined forces for a decisive 10-1 assault to put the game away with a little over two minutes remaining.

Harvey Carey had a solid performance for Talk ‘N Text with 25 points and 15 rebounds while Alapag returned from a long hiatus to contribute 15 points and 11 assists, although he was did not play in the last 4:40 of the game due to cramps.

“We still have a shot [for a top two spot],” said Cone, whose last two assignments are against lowly Shopinas and Barako Bull. “Petron and Talk ‘N Text still play each other and have tougher opponents.”

The scores:

B-MEG 114 – Yap J. 27, Raymundo 20, Urbiztondo 15, Simon 11, De Vance 9, Yap R. 9, Pingris 8, Reavis 8, Barroca 7.

TALK N’ TEXT 104 – Carey 25, Castro 18, Alapag 15, Aguilar 11, Williams 11, Weinstein 9, Fonacier 8, De Ocampo 7, Gamalinda 0, Oreta 0, Alvarez 0.

Quarters: 29-21, 53-42, 76-78, 114-104

Friday, November 25, 2011

Big Game James Yap, Explodes to lead B-meg to Rain or Shine

B-MEG made sure that its sizzling start wouldn’t go to waste, holding on to a nail-biting 102-100 win over Rain or Shine for its fifth straight victory in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

source :  

James Yap had a game-high 32 points, including 19 in the first half, and Peter June Simon had the biggest shot in the game, a go-ahead three-pointer with under a minute left in the game. The win put B-MEG in a tie for third spot in the team standing with the Elasto Painters with a 7-4 win-loss mark.

“Two or three weeks ago, I knew we were playing better basketball, but I didn’t think we’ll win five straight,” said B-MEG coach Tim Cone.
“The goal from the very beginning is to build the foundation. No sense of urgency to win right away. We just have to make sure we are all in the same page. There’s no short cut to win, it will only take you long.”
Simon had 16 points, Mark Barroca contributed 14 off the bench, while Josh Urbiztondo and Kerby Raymudo each had 11 for the Llamados, who erected an early 24-3 lead in the game.
Cone’s wards tried to finish off the Painters early as the Llamados delivered a quick knockout blow with that 21-point lead en route to a 30-13 first quarter lead.
But the Elasto Painters kept their composure and outscored B-MEG in the next period, 36-21, to get back in the game and trail by only two points at halftime, 51-49.
It was a see-saw battle in the second half, with Rain or Shine taking a 98-95 lead on Paul Lee’s three-pointer, with 3:25 remaining.
Marc Pingris scored under the basket and Raymundo scored after Lee’s missed three-pointer to give B-MEG a 99-98 edge with 1:46 left.
Beau Belga connected on a long two-pointer, 100-99, and could have given Rain or Shine a bigger lead after stealing the ball in the ensuing possession. But the burly big man missed the fastbreak layup, allowing Simon to make the winning three-pointer with 56.6 seconds left.
JR Quinahan missed on the next play for the Elasto Painter, but Barroca also misfired for B-MEG. With 5.7 seconds remaining, Lee had a chance to steal the win but his three-point attempt at the top of the key was way off the mark as the final buzzer sounded.
It was the second straight heartbreaking loss for Rain or Shine and the team’s third in a row.
Lee led the Elato Painters with 21 points while Ronjay Buenafe added 12, but had crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter.
The scores:

B-MEG 102 – Yap J. 32, Simon 16, Barroca 14, Urbiztondo 11, Raymundo 11, Pingris 10, De Vance 3, Reavis 3, Yap R. 2, De Ocampo 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 100 – Lee 21, Buenafe 12, Matias 10, Rodriguez 9, Arana 9, Tang 8, Norwood 7, Belga 7, Chan 6, Quinahan 6, Cruz 4, Ibanes 1.
Quarterscores: 30-13, 51-49, 79-77, 102-100

Sunday, November 20, 2011

B-Meg Llamados Defeats Ginebra , Rico Maierhofer Debut as a Gin Kings

 image source:pba.ph


B-MEG capitalized on Barangay Ginebra’s series of miscues midway in the fourth quarter and took an 86-76 win for its fourth straight victory in the 2011 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.


James Yap tallied 17 points but was held down to just 2 in the final canto. That was when the rest of the Llamados took over and thwarted the Kings’ uprising.

Rookie Mark Barroca had another solid game off the bench with 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting, PJ Simon added 12 while Josh Urbiztondo, Marc Pingris and Kerby Raymundo each had 10 for BMEG, which now joined Meralco for fourth spot with 6-4 slate.

“The guys made clutch plays down the stretch and that’s the difference,” said Llamados mentor Tim Cone.

“They (Ginebra) did a good job on double teaming James in the second half and it opened up for everyone,” he added.

After leading at 72-62 on Roger Yap’s lay-up, the Kings unloaded an 8-0 blast to threaten at 70-72 with 5:57 remaining.

But Mike Cortez turned the ball over that resulted in Yap’s basket, 74-70, Pingris followed up a Raymundo’s missed jumper and after Nino Canaleta’s error, Raymundo hit a runner to make it a comfortable 78-70 spread with 2:43 left in the game.

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/b-meg-relies-on-balanced-effort-to-defeat-ginebra

B-MEG was never threatened since then and the Kings absorbed their fifth loss in nine matches.

Helterbrand led Ginebra with 17 points and 7 assists while Enrico Villanueva contributed 13.

JC Intal, Willy Wilson and Cortez each had 10 markers for the Kings.

Rico Maierhofer debuted for Ginebra and scored with only 2 points. Yancy de Ocampo, the player that the Llamados got in the trade, did not score in four minutes.

“We’ve been slowly climbing up the ladder. It’s a slow climb but I’m happy at this stage,” said Cone. “We’re moving upward not downward. Sometimes, you have a quick start then go downward in the end. We’ll rather have a quick start and win it all like Talk ‘N Text did.”

The scores:

B-MEG 88 – J. Yap 17, Barroca 14, Simon 12, Urbiztondo 10, Pingris 10, Raymundo 10, Yap R. 7, De Vance 5, Reavis 3, De Ocampo 0.

GINEBRA 76 – Helterbrand 17, Villanueva 13, Intal 10, Wilson W. 10, Cortez 10, Caguioa 6, Mamaril 4, Canaleta 3, Maierhofer 2, Wilson J. 1, Labagala 0, Tubid 0.

Quarters: 24-19, 44-38, 61-55, 88-76

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Former Bmeg Llamados Player, Rico Maierhofer Expected to Blossom in Ginebra

AKTV/Paolo Papa
With his trade to the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, Rico Maierhofer is expected to get the exposure to become one of the league’s best big men.
On Wednesday, the PBA approved a trade that sent B-MEG’s Maierhofer and Barako Bull’s Allein Maliksi to Ginebra. In return, Barako received Jimbo Aquino, a 2013 first round pick, and a 2012 second round pick from Ginebra, while B-MEG received Yancy de Ocampo and a 2012 second round pick from Barako.
Maierhofer’s former coach, Tim Cone, is glad that the athletic former La Salle forward would finally get the minutes he deserves.
“I’m very happy for Rico,” said Cone, who took over the reins of the B-MEG Llamados prior to the season. “The concern was getting him to a place where he would get the playing time to develop.”
Cone said that B-MEG could not provide Maierhofer that opportunity, because he was backing up perennial all-stars.
“With us, he was stuck playing behind [two-time Most Valuable Player] James [Yap] at the three, and [Marc Pingris] at the four,” said Cone. “I’m hoping at Ginebra he can get his playing time up to 30 minutes a game.”
After winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2010, Maierhofer looked poised for a breakout year last season. With B-MEG’s frontline depleted because of injuries to Pingris, Kerby Raymundo, and Rafi Reavis, Maierhofer got a lot of playing time in last year’s Philippine Cup, and he responded by averaging, for the tournament, 9.6 rebounds (5th in the league) and 1.2 blocks (4th) — leading the Llamados in both categories.
But tragedy struck in the last year’s Commissioner’s Cup, when he suffered a torn ACL injury. He has struggled in his return this season, averaging just 2.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in only 11 minutes per game.
Maierhofer figures to get more minutes with Ginebra, which has been looking for a new starting power forward since the departure of Rudy Hatfield last season. Willy Wilson has been playing well at the spot for the Gin Kings, but is considered undersized, while rookie Riel Cervantes is still raw. Wingmen KG Canaleta and JC Intal have played at the spot at times for Ginebra in small-ball alignments.
In trading Maierhofer, the Llamados received veteran center de Ocampo, whom Cone expects to help out in the frontcourt.
“We’re hoping Yancy can be another piece of our puzzle by being a legitimate center in our system, and allowing Rafi and Ping to play more time at their natural position [at power forward].”
Still, Cone said that the primary consideration for the deal was Maierhofer.
“This trade was really about finding the right place for Rico to grow.”