By Jerome Lagunzad
Games Tuesday
(Bacoor Sports Center)
4:15 p.m. — Sta. Lucia vs Generika-Ayala
7 p.m. — Cocolife vs Cignal
Skipper Dindin Santiago-Manabat made a triumphant comeback yesterday as Foton turned back Generika-Ayala, 25-19, 22-25, 25-16, 25-22, for an auspicious start in the 2018 Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Proving she’s fully recovered from a left knee injury that sidelined him in the tourney’s previous edition, the 6-foot-3 Santiago fired 14 points, five of them off service aces, as she teamed up with power-hitting import Brooke Kranda in leading the Tornadoes’ attack against the erratic Lifesavers.
“Mind-setting lang naman kasi ‘yung kailangan kay Dindin. Sabi naman ng mga PTs (physical therapists) namin, 100 percent healed na siya. Good thing nag-step up siya ngayon,” said Foton coach Rommel Abella who also made a victorious league debut.
The 6-foot-6 Kranda displayed her offensive prowess with a game-best 21 points, capped by the game-clinching crosscourt wallop, while fellow American, southpaw Elizabeth Wendel, added 11 points, including three blocks, to help the Tornadoes’ bid.
Abella, however, sounded quite pleased with her imports’ combined performance, saying: We were expecting a little more. But since this is just their first game here in the Philippines, medyo acceptable pa ‘yung ginalaw nila kanila.
Hopefully they can still provide us a little more offensive power for our next game.”
Returning Darlene Ramdin tallied all but two of her 19-point output on the offensive side but fellow reinforcement Symone Hayden groped for form, coming up with just seven points, and was not even utilized by Lifesavers coach Sherwin Meneses in the fourth and decisive frame.
After blowing hot and cold in the first two sets, the Tornadoes, a two-time tourney champions, got off to a quick start in the third, racing to an early 8-2 cushion and leading by as many as 12 points before holding off the Lifesavers’ rally.
Even with Hayden reduced as a mere spectator from their bench, the Lifesavers showed some resistance in the fourth set as they even took a slim 14-13 advantage off a Tornadoes attack error.
But repeated service errors by Generika-Ayala didn’t do it any favor while Kranda, Wendel, Manabat took turns in leading Foton’s strong windup that still appeared way below Abella’s expectations.
