PBA-DL: Jainamite lifts Fruitas past Cafe France; Big Chill wins

Proving that one game is enough to make an impact, point guard Jai Reyes scored 21 points in a one-night-only performance with the Fruitas Shakers to defeat the Cafe France Bakers, 88-82, in the opening day of the 2013 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City on Thursday. The Shakers had to play the game without its San Beda stars Ola Adeogun, Kyle Pascual, Rome Dela Rosa, Ryusei Koga, Art Dela Cruz, and JP Mendoza, who still have to battle the Letran Knights in a winner-take-all game 3 on Friday for the NCAA championship, while Fil-Am Mike Silungan was out tending to his eligibility requirements. Fruitas head coach Nash Racela then called on Reyes, who is in the country before leaving for another stint with the Asean Basketball League. Reyes, who was once with the Bangkok Cobras, is now on deck to join the Saigon Heat in the regional tournament. "Kung nanalo yung San Beda, hindi na ko maglalaro dapat. Sabi ni Coach Nash, kung pwede kahit one game lang," Reyes told GMA News Online. The Bakers were down 12, 82-70, with two and a half minutes to go, before Jens Knuttel and Gryan Mendoza canned charities to cut the lead to three, 82-79. But in the final minute, Fruitas leaned on Reyes' steady shooting from the line to secure the victory, 88-82. Reyes finished with a line of 21 points, 11 coming from the foul line, five rebounds, and seven assists. CSB Blaze Carlo Lastimsa backed him up with 16 points and eight rebounds, while former UAAP stars Jan Colina and Gene Belleza had 11 each. Cafe France was led by big man Mike Parala, who tallied a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds. Jens Knuttel proved an able opponent for Reyes, with 18 markers, three boards, five dimes and three swipes, while FEU Tamaraws Roger Pogoy and Gryann Mendoza combined for 22 points. In the first game of the play date, the Big Chill Superchargers got a team-high 14 points from super-sub Mark Canlas, including the game-winner, to escape with a 77-76 win over the debuting Air21 JRU team. Down three, 55-52, heading into the fourth period, Canlas first gave his side a 75-70 lead, with 1:49 left in the game. Rocky Acidre countered with five straight points to knot things at 75-all, less than a minute remaining.    Off a loose ball foul, Dexter Maiquez managed a split at the line to put Air 21 up, 76-75, forcing Big Chill to call timeout with 18 seconds remaining.   The Superchargers went to Terrence Romeo, but his attempt missed, leading to a wild sequence as both sides endeavored to secure the rebound. In the end, the ball went to Canlas, who managed to get a shot off in time that connected, allowing his side to emerge victorious. Canlas was aided by FEU Tam Romeo, who added 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Romeo's UAAP teammate Arvie Bringas added a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Air21, comprised mostly of NCAA stars, got 19 points in 20 minutes from Dexter Maiquez. Rocky Acidre fired in 17 markers, while PBA veteran Khazim Mirza chimed in 10.  - OMG/AMD, GMA News The scores: Game one - Big Chill 77 - Canlas 14, Romeo 13, Lozada 11, Bringas 10, Canta 8, Montilla 7, Montecastro 6, Villahermosa 6, Santos 2, Semira 0, Collado 0 Air 21 76 - Maiquez 19, Acidre 17, Mirza 10, Apinan 10, Lopez 7, Caperal 5, Villarias 4, Pinto 2, Miranda 2, Dela Paz 0, Almario 0, Ighalo 0 Quarter-scoring: 14-15, 33-35, 52-55, 77-76 Game two - Fruitas 88 - Reyes 21, Lastimosa 16, Antonio 12, Belleza 11, Colina 11, Paguia 7, Hernandez 4, Escueta 4, Eriobu 2, Terso 0 Cafe France 82 - Parala 22, Knuttel 18, Pogoy 13, Mendoza 9, Jamon 7, Padilla 7, Magat 4, Batino 2, Garcia 0, Magbitang 0, Antipuesto 0 Quarter-scoring: 21-17, 45-44, 63-56, 88-82