CAGUIOA RETURN SPARKS GINEBRA WIN OVER AIR21

MARK Caguioa's return to Barangay Ginebra was made grander by Cedric Bozeman and Allein Maliksi.

With their leader back on the court and providing a big boost by his mere presence alone, the Kings had little trouble disposing off Air21 103-85 Wednesday in their PBA Governors’ Cup debut at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Wearing a pair of protective glasses to protect the eye he injured last March 30, Caguioa scored 15 points, each one of his five baskets lustily cheered on by his teammates.

"Mark has always been one of the focal points ng team kaya it's really a blessing na nabigyan siya agad ng clearance para makapaglaro," said Kings head coach Siot Tanquingcen. "Mark has always been the soul of this team. Malaking bagay talagang maglaro siya."

Maliksi was not to be left out as he added 11 of his 13 in the fourth period to spark Ginebra's runaway win and become one of the key backups to Bozeman's team-high 29 points and game-high 13 rebounds.

The rookie sidelined since October by a strained lateral cruciate ligament was simply on fire, with his baseline jumper over two defenders giving Ginebra its first 20-point lead at 87-67.

The win was also fashioned despite the absence of Jayjay Helterbrand, who had to attend the graduation of his daughter in the US, and Eric Menk, who pulled a hamstring in practice and will be out at least two more weeks.

Caguioa was just glad to be playing again.

"It feels good to be back on the court again," said the guard, who came in at the 5:32 mark of the first period and promptly buried his first shot, a buzzer-beating straightaway triple, with only 2:03 left in the canto.

"It felt good," he related. "When it went in, I was mentally thinking magiging okay na ako for the whole game."

Having had only about eight practices with the team, Caguioa admitted he is just at about 80 percent game-shape and he still needs to take medication for the intermittent headaches his injury brought about.

"Wala pa sa kondisyon," he said. "A few more games I'll be all right. Wala na namang pain, but there's still a little bit of headache."

Zach Graham wound up with 31 points to lead all scorers and also grabbed 12 rebounds, but did not have the same kind of support his former teammate with the Reno Bighorns had as Air21 dropped its opening assignment for the second time in three conferences.

Tanquingcen and Caguioa both were also quick to point out the game could hardly be used as a gauge.

"Tingnan natin, kapag ang kalaban mas malakas na team. Du'n makikita kung saan puwede ang team," said Caguioa.

Despite never gaining the upper hand, Air21 did manage to make a game of it, whittling the deficit to just 81-91, still a good 4:03 remaining in the game.

Following a timeout, Bozeman used the baseline as approach for a dunk and Mike Cortez boomed in a triple from the left corner to decisively quell the threat.

It was a much tighter game in the first half as the Express came charging back to within 39-42 after Caguioa's four straight points made it a 34-24 game.

Dylan Ababou, another rookie, then promptly drained a triple and Ginebra's defense held, making it just a six-point game at the turn. (NC)

The scores:

BARANGAY GINEBRA 103 - Bozeman 29, Caguioa 15, Maliksi 13, Hatfield 10, Ababou 9, Cortez 8, Raymundo
7, Wilson W. 6, Wilson J. 3, Labagala 2, Villanueva 1, Maierhofer 0, Canaleta 0.

AIR 21 85 - Graham 31, Ritualo 13, Sena 11, Isip 6, Omolon 6, Jazul 5, Espiritu 4, Sison 4,
Bagatsing 3, Hubalde 2, Menor 0, Faundo 0.

Quarterscores: 23-18, 45-39, 71-62, 103-85