Hotdogs keep bid afloat

Surprises, indeed, come in small packages.

On a night when the big men dominated the game, six-footer Noy Castillo turned in one of his finest performances to power the Purefoods Hotdogs to a 68-62 victory over the Sta. Lucia Realtors and a crack at the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal round of the PBA-Alaxan All-Filipino Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Castillo knocked in 21 points, including clutch baskets from the outside that practically eased the load on big men Alvin Patrimonio, Andy Seigle and seven-footer EJ Feihl, who all had their hands full trying to contain the Sta. Lucia pair of Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino.

His third three-pointer in the closing minute likewise stifled the rallying Realtors at 64-59 and the Hotdogs went on to post their seventh victory in 12 games, just enough to keep the Hotdogs in fourth spot and a clear shot at a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarters.

So solid was Castillo's shooting that he wound up with an impressive 7-of-12 clip from the field to anchor the Hotdogs' Easter Sunday win and first back-to-back victories in a long, long while.

Sta. Lucia was ot of the race with a 6-7 mark.

Jojo Lastimosa sank the winning basket as time expired and gave Pop Cola a 77-75 win over Mobiline in the second game, boosting the 800s' quarterfinal bid at 6-6.

Patrimonio and Seigle combined for 22 points and 20 rebounds as they held their own against the tandem of Aquino and Espino.

The loss dropped the Realtors to 6-7 and out of their bid for a top four placing.

Aquino and Espino again came up with big games, combining for 21 of the Realtors 46 rebounds and scored 33 points between themselves. But they failed to deliver the goods down the stretch.