Air21 moves out of cellar with squeaker over Ginebra

Air21 gained some ground again against Barako Energy Coffee in their battle for the last cut.

LeRoy Hickerson made two free throws with 11.7 seconds left then Billy Mamaril blocked a shot by Enrico Villanueva as Air21 nipped Barangay Ginebra, 98-97, to boost its wildcard bid in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.

“It’s tough getting the win which we needed so much. We wanted it badly to get some distance with Barako in our fight for the last slot in the wildcard round,” said Air21 coach Yeng Guiao.

“We’re keeping our attitude positive. We’re still very hopeful that if we make the wildcard, we’ll have a chance even against teams in the upper bracket,” Guiao added.

Avenging a similar one-point loss to the Kings in their previous tiff, the Express moved up to 4-13 -- a game behind the Sta. Lucia Realtors (5-12) and half-game in front of the Barako Energy Coffee Masters (3-13).

Air21 automatically lands in the wildcard round should Barako loses its last two games versus Talk n Text and B-MEG Derby Ace. Hickerson exploded for 33 points and 10 rebounds and drew huge support ironically from two former Ginebra players in Mamaril and Doug Kramer as they dealt the Kings a crucial loss.

Rain or Shine (7-9) and Coca-Cola (7-9) stayed in the running for the top five as Ginebra suffered an eighth loss against nine wins. Kramer came through with a career-high 17 points that went with 16 points while Mamaril got away with numerous key plays down the stretch. Mamaril, acquired recently by Air21 for Mike Cortez, spiked a seven-point game with two blocks and a big rebound down the stretch.

A blot was two missed charities in the last 5.5 seconds allowing the Kings to have a last-gasp shot. The Express eventually pulled through as Denham Brown missed a heave from midcourt at the buzzer.

It was a sorry loss for the Kings who took control most of the way behind the exploits of Mark Caguioa, Rudy Hatfield, Enrico Villanueva and Ronald Tubid. After a long chase, the Express surged ahead at 96-95 on a three-point play by Hickerson off Caguioa with 2:15 left to play.

Ginebra regained the upper hand for the last time at 97-96 on a drive by Brown before Hickerson went to the stripe and knocked in the charities sending Air21 ahead to stay with 11.7 ticks left.

“You have to give it to coach Yeng. We have the same fighting attitude. He never quits and I never quit,” said Hickerson. “We had some discussion with LeRoy before the game and it turned for the better. He’s got a different personality which may be good if we could harness or bad if not manage,” said Guiao. (SB)

The scores:

Air 21 98 - Hickerson 33, Kramer 16, Belga 11, Buenafe 9, Mamaril 7, Arboleda 7, Billones 5, Matias 4, Sharma 2, Gonzales 2, Ritualo 2, Williams 0, Alvarez 0.

Ginebra 97 - Caguioa 21, Hatfield 17, Villanueva 15, Tubid 14, Brown 11, Cortez 6, De Ocampo 5, Wilson 4, Miller 4, Intal 0, Helterbrand 0.

Quarters: 21-28, 52-57, 71-77, 98-97