PETRON BLAZE ROUTS AIR21 FOR THIRD WIN IN A ROW
PETRON Blaze head coach Gee Abanilla is far from completely satisfied despite his team notching a second straight cruising win, and third overall.
Whatever his qualms they are easily soothed by the fact his Boosters’ 112-86 drubbing of Air21 Wednesday gave them at least a share of the PBA Governors Cup lead at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“I’m very happy with this win,” said Abanilla following the triumph that was his team’s second blowout one in a row. “It means we have the chance to be in the upper bracket of the standings.”
What annoys Abanilla is the fact his charges’ game seemed to let up after they led by as much as 89-60, early in the fourth canto “It’s really good if we show passion for the sport… to keep on fighting it out. It’s one good trait we should owe up,” he stated.
The victory came on the heels of a 99-84 win over erstwhile unbeaten Rain or Shine last Friday and was Petron’s third straight in four games.
The Elasto Painters could catch up with a win over Alaska later in the evening, but that is beyond Petron’s control.
The Boosters’ bid for inclusion among the top four which will enjoy twice-to-beat advantage each over the other four in the ensuing quarterfinals is gaining ground and that matters more.
That bid is sure to be put through the wringer as Petron is up for a tough schedule starting with last year’s finalist San Mig Coffee on Sunday and Abanilla said their preparations will be more on honing his charges’ collective mindset.
“Because of the schedule, it will be more on mental,” related Abanilla. “We’ll work on some things. At times we’re sloppy in executing in defense, especially when we have a big margin.”
That’s really not too big a cause for concern as Petron drew another balanced attack, led by Elijah Millsap’s 27 points and 12 rebounds he laced with a fine defensive work on Air21 counterpart Zach Graham.
June Mar Fajardo notched a personal tournament high 17 points and nine rebounds while Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot, Arwind Santos and Chris Lutz had at least 10 points each.
Graham was limited to just 20 shots and 19 points, 15 below his average and his lowest since a debut stint in the same tourney last year.
Nino Canaleta wound up with 16 points, but only Nelbert Omolon was the lone other Express in double figures with 10, with eight coming in garbage time.
The winning margin was the biggest in the season-ending tourney and the loss was Air21’s second in a row as it dropped to a 1-3 slate overall.
It was also the worst loss by Air21 since losing by 30 to Alaska in the same conference last year, when Graham notched his previous PBA low of 25 points.
Wednesday night’s flooring at the Mall of Asia Arena was borrowed from the Philports Arena since the MOA floor had to undergo emergency refurbishing and the PBA family expressed its utmost gratitude to the Philippine Sports Commission for agreeing to lend the panelings.
The change hardly affected Petron’s game, which gathered full steam in the two middle quarters before letting up a bit in the end.
Millsap, Fajardo and Cabagnot were at the forefront of it all as they were the ones who chiefly hooked up in giving the Boosters an 11-point halftime lead and stretching that to 82-60 at the end of the third period. (NC)
The scores:
Petron 112 – Millsap 27, Fajardo 17, Lassiter 13, Cabagnot 13, Santos 12, Lutz 10, Yeo 9, Lanete 8, Miranda 3, Deutchman 0, Kramer 0, Tubid 0.
Air21 86 – Graham 19, Canaleta 16, Omolon 10, Cortez 8, Manuel 6, Custodio 6, Sharma 6, Arboleda 5, Ritualo 4, Atkins 2, Sena 2, Isip 2, Menor 0.
Quarterscores: 24-22, 49-38, 82-60, 112-86
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