BOOSTERS MAKE IT NINE IN ROW, ROLL TO FINAL FOUR
The Petron Blaze Boosters won’t allow themselves to see the end of their hot streak in this stage of the conference.
Petron lived up to its billing as the elimination-round topnotcher, crushing Barangay Ginebra, 101-94, to book a seat in the PBA Governors’ Cup Final Four at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Thursday night.
Things became a lot easier for the Boosters as Ginebra leader and top gun Mark Caguioa went down with a suspected MCL injury just 14 minutes into the contest.
The Boosters made a big 34-17 tear in the second period and led by as many as 25 in the third period before weathering a Ginebra storm in the final canto for a ninth straight victory that shoved the team to the semis versus the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
Earlier in the day, the E-Painters rallied from a 12-point deficit and beat out the Globalport Batang Pier, 108-106, in their own quarters showdown.
The E-Painters, the reigning champs, and the Boosters, the 2011 titleholders, clash in Game One of their best-of-five semifinals series Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
An interesting subplot is the coaching duel between RoS coach Yeng Guiao and protégé Gie Abanilla.
“I’ve learned a lot from coach Yeng. I know for a fact his leadership skill is very high. And knowing these guys (the E-Painters), semis is going to be such a challenge,” said Abanilla.
“Our modest goal was to make the semis. Now that we’re here, we now aim for a higher goal,” Abanilla also said.
Elijah Millsap came through with a second straight triple-double job with 22 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds (a fourth double came in the form of 10 errors) while Arwind Santos put in double-double numbers with 17 markers and 13 boards as the Boosters eliminated the eighth-ranked Kings from further contention.
And Ginebra was the fifth team to call it a season after Air21, Talk n Text, Barako Bull and Globalport.
But as a fighting team that they are, the Kings didn’t just roll over and die despite the early exit of Caguioa.
The Boosters needed to regroup to repel Ginebra’s fourth-quarter rally.
Amazing were the Kings’ charge that saw them rise from a 25-point hole and come to within one twice at 88-89 and 90-91.
The Boosters, however, won’t just be denied.
Millsap, Santos and Marcio Lassiter joined forces to scuttle the Kings’ comeback bid.
Junmar Fajardo, Alex Cabagnot and Lassiter also put in double-digit outputs for the Boosters who built a 25-point spread at 74-49.
The scores:
Petron 101 – Millsap 22, Fajardo 20, Santos 17, Cabagnot 12, Lassiter 11, Lanete 8, Kramer 8, Lutz 3, Tubid 0, Ildefonso 0.
Ginebra 94 – Lowhorn 31, Tenorio 20, Urbiztondo 14, Baracael 11, Helterbrand 6, Mamaril 4, Caguioa 4, Ellis 2, Maierhofer 2, Ababou 0, Wilson 0, Raymundo 0.
Quarters: 24-25, 58-42, 83-69, 101-94
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