Fiery ‘KG’  takes sizzle out of Coke

Nino “KG” Canaleta, a three-time PBA slam-dunk king, soared to his best performance in the season that impressed foreign scouts at courtside to lead Air21 past Coca-Cola, 104-86, in the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

Canaleta had his breakout game this conference, literally scoring from all angles as he fired a career third-best 29-point output to power the Express to a repeat win over the Tigers in the elimination round.

The three-year pro out of University of the East went 5-of-5 from the three-point area, 4-of-5 from the two-point range and 6-of-8 from the stripe as he dealt the Tigers a big damage in a repeat of their 102-95 victory in their previous tiff last April 13.

The Express closed out their stint in the first round of the elims with a 5-4 win-loss card. The Tigers, on the other hand, suffered their second straight setback and slid to 6-4.

Foreign scouts, including former Red Bull import Tony Lang, now an assistant coach for the Mitsubishi squad in the Japanese league, looked impressed with  Canaleta’s performance.

A number of coaches in the Japanese and Korean leagues are now in the country, scouting the imports currently playing in the PBA.

Steven Thomas and Jason Dixon figured in a fierce battle but Canaleta stole the show as he fired 19 points to fuel an Air21 breakaway in the fourth quarter.

“We considered this contest a big game and we really prepared hard for this. I just did what I can do to contribute to the cause of the team,” said Canaleta.

“I’d been waiting for Canaleta’s breakout game offensively and defensively. Coke made crucial runs but KG was always there to make the stops and also the offense for us,” said Air21 coach Bo Perasol.

Perasol thought they’re on track in their bid with a 5-4 record halfway through the elims.

“Theoretically speaking at 5-4 halfway through the elims, we would finish at around 10-8. I guess 10 wins is enough for us to make the quarters which is our immediate goal,” said Perasol.

Ranidel de Ocampo carried the cudgels for Air21 early on, and he ended up with 21 points and six rebounds. Thomas snared 20 rebounds and added 11 points, four assists and three blocks.

Coke faded from a tight contest in the fourth quarter with Ronjay Buenafe left to carry the fight for the team. The rookie out of Emilio Aguinaldo College scored 12 of his 14 in the payoff period.