CAREER GAME FOR JUNTHY AS RED BULL OUTPLAYS WELCOAT

Dragons drop to 0-2 despite rookie Devance’s 19 points in 22 minutes
Wednesday, 24 October 2007

The Red Bull Barakos might have lost some star power but certainly not the will to win.

And Junthy Valenzuela, who now assumes the leadership role after management dealt stars Lordy Tugade, Rico Villanueva and Larry Fonacier to Magnolia in two previous separate deals, displayed a lot of it.

The veteran guard was a source of inspiration for the Barakos Wednesday night, providing words of encouragement for his teammates when the breaks didn't come their way and stepping up big time when no one else would.

The 28-year-old Cebuano who is also known for his tough defense exploded with 16 of his career-high 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Barakos bounced back from Friday's loss against the Barangay Ginebra Kings with an 86-75 victory over the Welcoat Dragons in the Smart PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Red Bull was up 73-67 when Valenzuela stole off Welcoat rookie Joe Devance and completed the play with a lay-up. After the Dragons missed on their next offensive, Valenzuela scored on a fastbreak and completed a three-point play off a foul by Denver Lopez as Red Bull ripped the game wide open, 78-67, with 5:03 remaining.

"Sa totoo lang medyo mabigat ang role ko ngayong dahil kailangan kong mag-step up para mapunan yung pagkawala nila Lordy at Larry. Pero I'm trying my best para ipakita sa mga bata na kaya naming manalo kahit wala sila,” said Valenzuela who went 3-of-3 from three-point range.

Welcoat had a great game going in the first half as Devance, the top rookie draft, seemed to have picked up his rhythm early.

The 6-foot-7 Fil-Am had his finest moment in the second quarter which had him knocking shot after shot, sinking 14 of his 19 points as the Dragons completely dominated the Barakos in the quarter and returned to their locker room enjoying a 42-35 lead.

But the top rookie draft is still hurting from his sprained right ankle, forcing coach Leo Austria to play his prize rookie sparingly in the process and enabling the Barakos to take advantage.

A basket and a three by Devance midway in the third quarter gave the Dragons a 53-44 lead but things turned upside down the moment Austria pulled out his prized rookie to give him a well deserve rest.

Mick Pennisi, who finished with 12 points and Celino Cruz knocked back-to-back 3-pointers that sparked a 18-3 blast and shoved the Barakos ahead to stay, 62-56, at the end of the third quarter.

"We committed a lot of mistakes and made bad decisions in the first half. But we managed to regrouped in the third and things went smoothly from there," said Red Bull deputy coach Gee Abanilla, who called the shots for the Barakos as coach Yeng Guiao served his one-game suspension for his unsportsmanlike burst at the end of their game against Barangay Ginebra last Friday.

Devance scored 19 points and Nic Belasco, who struggled with his shots, added 17 for Welcoat which picked up its second straight loss. (DBC)

The scores:

Red Bull 85 – Valenzuela 27, Pennisi 12, Sharma 11, Robinson 8, Baguio 8, Cruz 5, Adriano 5, Bugia 4, Membrere 3, Hrabak 3, Najorda 0, Andaya 0.
Welcoat 75 – Devance 19, Belasco 17, Reyes 11, Wainwright 10, Ibanes 6, Dulay 4, Arana 2, Baguion 2, Gelig 2, Lopez 2, Sta. Maria 0, Ballesteros 0.
Quarterscores: 19-16, 35-42, 62-56, 86-75.