Cola Tigers came from behind to mangle the Red Bull Barakos, 102-80, Friday night to create a three-team logjam at the top of the standings in the 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference. Coca-Cola joined erstwhile solo leader Red Bull and idle Talk N Text at the top, all with a 7-4 win-loss slate. In the nightcap, the Sta. Lucia Realtors unleashed just enough firepower to slay the Welcoat Dragons, 88-79, to catch up with idle Air21 at fourth place with a 6-4 card. After a forgettable first half, the Tigers caught fire in the last two quarters to stun Red Bull and end a two-game losing streak. A ferocious 23-3 run capped by four three-pointers pushed Coca-Cola from as much as a 13-point deficit to complete the big win. The Tigers were trailing 54-60 when they suddenly found their shooting touch, thanks mainly to the inside forays of big import Jason Dixon and the outside snipings of Mark Macapagal and Ronjay Enrile. By the time they were through with the job, the Tigers were already way ahead, 77-63. Dixon collected 33 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and added 4 steals while going 13-of-15 from the foul line. New Coke import Donald Copeland, taking the place of Gee Gervin, only had 14 in his league debut, but enough to help the team snap a two-game losing slide and pump precious life in its bid for claiming one of two outright semifinal berths. Sporting another new hairdo, Asi Taulava came up with 12 points while Mark Macapagal had all his 11 points in the second half, including eight in a row to end the third period when the Tigers took a 70-63 lead. Red Bull's Cyrus Baguio scored 18 points in the first half alone, but was held to only three points the rest of the way. The Barakos absorbed their first back-to-back losses in the season-ending tournament after their previous 101-90 loss to defending champion Alaska last May 18. The victory avenged Coca-Cola's 82-75 loss to Red Bull in the first round. In the second game, Sta. Lucia import Wesley Wilson threw his full weight against his Welcoat counterpart Marquis Gainous, piling up 34 points, 19 rebounds and four assists-all personal conference high numbers. Wilson exploded even as Dennis Espino groped for form while Marlou Aquino could not play because of fever. The Dragons suffered a third straight defeat and moved further down the chart with a 3-8 slate. Despite the absence of Aquino and the luckluster game of Espino, the Realtors proved too tough a nut for the Dragons to crack. Kelly Williams churned in 16 points while Ryan Reyes had a near triple-double performance with 12 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. The Realtors regrouped and made a spectacular run after squandering an 11-point lead and falling behind at 78-75 with 3:36 left to play. __
