Paras-less Shell blasts Tanduay, grabs lead

Benjie Paras was out of commission but Dale Singson carried out the mission as he fired 21 points to power Formula Shell to a 91-75 romp over listless Tanduay last night and into the lead in the PBA All Filipino Cup at the Philsports Arena.

PBA returnee Jojo Lim and rookie Michael Hrabak came off the bench to score 16 points apiece as the Turbo Chargers broke away from a four-way logjam on top with their fifth win in seven games.

While Singson outhustled the entire Tanduay backcourt with his dazzling show of court wizardry, Lim and the 6-foot-6 Hrabak mocked their defenders with near-perfect shooting from the perimeter that more than made up for the absence of Paras.

Although he was in playing uniform, Paras sat out the game for the third straight time nursing an ear infection and a complicated case of flu. But his absence was hardly felt as the rest of the team played heads-up game all night.

"Benjie told me before this game that he is ready to play although he is not yet in his old form," said Shell coach Perry Ronquillo. "Fortunately for us, the rest (of the team) stepped up really big for this big victory."

With Singson on the firing end, the Turbo Chargers roared to a 23-15 start, sustained their run in the next two quarters before coasting to the victory in the last where they were outscored by the Rhum Masters, 22-27, but still won with plenty to spare.

The Turbo Chargers practically took the fight out of the Rhum Masters right in the third quarter as the Singson-Lim-Hrabak triumvirate, superbly backed by a tough-defending crew, unleashed a torrid run that gave them their biggest lead at 67-44.

Jeffrey Cariaso, Bong Hawkins and Noli Locsin combined for 50 points for Tanduay but only Dondon Hontiveros could chip in a double-digit output of 10 as the rest either groped for form or failed to hit their marks.

The Rhum Masters took their fifth loss against two wins.

Singson also had five assists and two rebounds with the duo of Mark Telan and Chris Jackson controlling both boards with 14 and 10 rebounds, respectively.

They had a total of 47 caroms, decisively beating their rivals, who could only muster 34, 23 of them defensively.

Shell’s victory thus left San Miguel Beer, Batang Red Bull and Barangay Ginebra in joint second with identical 4-2 (win-loss) records.

Meanwhile, action in the country’s premier pro league resumes today with Red Bull and Ginebra clashing in an out-of-town game in faraway Iloilo City.

At stake is a share of the lead with the Thunder hoping to keep the momentum of their big 78-76 victory over the fancied San Miguel Beermen last Wednesday.

But the Gin Kings are also playing with renewed confidence, having beaten Purefoods, 75-73, last Sunday, thus making the 5 p.m. encounter truly a game to watch.

Viva Vintage Sports will telecast the game at 10 p.m. on IBC 13.