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Hell of a week for surging Burger King
by Jonas Terrado
(April 25, 2008)

The Burger King Whoppers sizzled like a cooked patty and bun in a grueling stretch of three games in one week to suddenly become one of the leaders in the 2008 PBL Lipovitan Amino Sports Cup.

The Whoppers won all their games held last week which enabled them to climb into third position in the current tournament with an 8-6 mark with one more game to play as strong plays from several players has helped their cause.

During the run, Burger King has held its opponents to an average of just 57 points, compared to the 74-point norm they put up in their initial 11-game stint. And prior to that, they were on a horrible four game skid that dropped their standing from second place to just sixth.

They capped off the week by winning a hard-fought game, a 67-61 come-from-behind downing of San Mig Coffee last Saturday at The Arena in San Juan, wherein the Whoppers bounced back from a 10-point third quarter deficit.

"I want to give it to the boys for the defense they played in the fourth quarter," Gregorio said after the game. "In the third quarter, our set plays on offense didn't work as Coach Koy (Banal) really scouted us but we went to our defense in the final period in order to get the win."

While it can be argued that Gregorio's team won against the likes of cellar dweller Bacchus Energy Drink, and bubble teams Noosa Shoes and San Mig, it was still crucial for them to win during the weakest stretch of their schedule in order to get a better placing come the quarterfinals.

Several players have put up big numbers for Burger King, notably former UP shooter Mike Bravo and Khiel Misa.

Bravo shot like he was still in the UAAP in their first two wins of the streak, when he drained five of his 10 points in the fourth quarter to beat Bacchus, 60-48, last April 15, then followed it up with a 15 point outing against Noosa Shoes two days later, hitting three triples during the game.

But, when Bravo and the rest of the team struggled last Saturday against the Coffee Kings, it was the former Perpetual Help playmaker's turn to contribute as Misa became the main catalyst for the team when they put priority on their defense in the homestretch.

With under a minute left and the game tied, he made the key play of the night by swiping the ball away from JP Alcaraz off a double team before sinking a three-point bucket past Neil Raneses for a 62-59 count with 39.7 ticks to go. Misa capped off his 16-point effort with his second steal of the game off a poor inbound by Alcaraz on the following play to put the game away.

"Khiel has been scouted a lot this conference," Gregorio added. "But still, he's putting a strong effort for us."

Other key contributors has been former pro first-round draft pick Abby Santos, who posted 15 points against San Mig Coffee, and prior to that, had nine rebounds versus Noosa, and Lawrence Bonus, who sank 7-for-8 from the field for 16 points to lead Burger King past the Shoe Stars, 66-62.

After a marathon schedule, Burger King takes a 12-day rest before going back to action against Pharex Medics, who holds a 6-6 win-loss record as of April 23, in a possible matchup for third on Labor Day.

"We'll have to wait and see what will Pharex do before we meet them," noted Gregorio.

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