|
HENKEL
Sista found an unlikely hero in Fritz Bauzon as the
Super Sealers downed San Miguel-Magnolia, 70-59, to
march into the semifinals of the Philippine Basketball
League (PBL) Unity Cup yesterday at the Olivarez Sports
Centre in Parañaque.
Bauzon
did the damage late in the game, drilling all his 14
points in the fourth quarter to help the Super Sealers
secure the third Final-Four ticket.
The
sterling performance of Bauzon made up for the absence
of Filipino-American Ryan Reyes, who suffered a groin
injury.
“I think
[Bauzon] and our defense in the second half was the key
in this win. He contributed well especially when we
needed it most,” said Henkel Sista coach Caloy Garcia.
The Super Sealers’ semifinal foe is defending champion
Harbour Centre on Saturday.
“We will
do our best [against Harbour Centre]. I admit we are
underdogs but we have been through a lot in this
conference, that’s why we are ready to go all out to be
in the championships round,” said Garcia.
The
Beverage Masters dictated the tempo late in the third
period where they established a 52-42 lead capped by Bon
Bon Custodio’s three-pointer.
Refusing
to give up, the Super Sealers dropped a 15-4 bomb
highlighted by Bauzon’s two triples to take over the
driver’s seat, 62-56, with 2:39 remaining.
Free
throws by Bauzon and from two other teammates inside the
final two-minute mark staved off the Beverage Masters.
Meanwhile, Ken Bono of Cebuana Lhuillier came up strong
in the Most Valuable Player (MVP) race after taking the
lead in the statistical points. The 6-foot-5 center
garnered 518 points, leading the Money Men outright into
the semifinals.
At close
second is Jayson Castro of Harbour Centre, who tallied
501 points, while teammate Doug Kramer was third with
467.
Also
gunning for the MVP are JR Quiñahan of Burger King with
448 points and Dennis Daa of Toyota with 425.
In the
first game, Burger King moved closer to reaching the
Final Four after fashioning out a masterful 73-68 win
over Toyota Balintawak, forging a rubber match in their
quarterfinals duel.
JR
Quinahan stepped up big for the Whoppers by drilling in
17 points on seven-of-11 shooting to spoil the Road
Kings’ semifinals bid.
Toyota
last tasted the lead at 59-58 after Joe Devance
completed his free throws, but the Whoppers went on a
decisive 13-2 run en route to a 71-61 advantage with
2:46 remaining.
Toyota
Balintawak still managed to cut the lead to three,
71-68, after Devance delivered a layup, but the Road
Kings’ efforts were not enough to reverse the result of
the game.
“At
least, we live another day, pero sayang lang ang
pinaghirapan namin ngayon kung hindi kami mananalo sa
Huwebes [but all our hard work would go for naught if we
don’t win on Thursday] . We were able to deal with
Toyota’s physical play,” said Burger King coach Lawrence
Cheongson.
“I hope
this win would inspire my players to work hard to play
in the semifinals for the first time. I’m sure
Toyota
will make adjustments in our next game, that’s why we
should be careful,” Cheongson added.
Mark
Bravo exploded with 12 points, all in the second half,
while Ronjay Buenafe chipped in 11 markers.
Patrick
Cabahug paced the Road Kings with 16 points and six
rebounds, while Devance added 14 and eight.
The Road
Kings, who had dropped their last four assignments, try
to snap their losing skid on Thursday. |
