PETRON BLAZE BACK AT SOLO 2ND
Petron Blaze fought back from a 12-point halftime deficit then cut loose from a seesawing battle in the homestretch, pulling off a 98-87 win over the injury-hit but fierce-fighting Globalport Batang Pier in the PLDT MyDSL PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday night.
Arwind Santos, Chris Lutz, Alex Cabagnot, Doug Kramer and the comebacking Junmar Fajardo teamed up in Petron’s blazing finish that carried the team to the win and back to solo second place in the team standings at 9-3.
Cabagnot finished with a career-first triple-double performance with 13 assists, 11 rebounds and 10 points while Santos wound up with a game-high 25 markers, including 19 in the second half as Petron overcame Globalport’s gritty challenge and handed the Batang Pier a fifth straight loss.
“A tough win for us. We had to grind it out,” said Petron coach Gee Abanilla on the crucial come-from-behind victory that enhanced their bid for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
“Wala pang kasiguruhan but I think our record is favorable for us,” Abanilla said.
While Petron fights for the Top Two, Globalport is now fighting for survival at 4-8, just a game in front of cellar-dweller Air21 (3-9).
Even with Jay Washington leaving the game early with an injury sustained in the second quarter, the Batang Pier waged a whale of a fight only to fade away in the end.
Globalport was still ahead, 80-79, with 6:05 left before Petron Blaze made a decisive run, seizing control at 90-80 in the last two minutes of play.
“A lot of guys did a terrific job, but Junmar was a big key. He gave us a different look. It’s really different with him on the floor, offensively and defensively,” said Abanilla.
Fajardo missed their last three games due to a bruised knee. And Petron went 1-2 without the 6-foot-10 Cebuano behemoth.
In his return, Fajardo collected 12 points, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 24 minutes of action.
Lutz and Kramer were two other Boosters who delivered double-digit outputs with 13 and 11 markers, respectively.
Sophomore shooting guard Jaypee Belencion went 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and totalled 21 points to pace the Batang Pier who drew 16 markers from Sol Mercado and 15 points and 11 boards from Kelly Nabong.
Pressing their bid in their return from the halftime huddle, the Boosters surged ahead at 56-55.
The two teams then engaged in a nip-and-tuck battle before Petron pulled away in the last six minutes of play. (SB)
The scores:
PETRON 98 – Santos 25, Lassiter 16, Lutz 13, Fajardo 12, Kramer 11, Cabagnot 10, Tubid 7, Deutchman 2, Ross 2, Lanete 0.
GLOBALPORT 87 – Belencion 21, Mercado 16, Nabong 15, Chua 9, Salvador 8, Garcia 8, Romeo 4, Menk 2, Salva 2, Najorda 1, Hayes 1, Washington 0.
Quarters: 20-22, 39-51, 68-68, 98-87
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