PBA Roundup: December 16-18, 2011

Arwind Santos stuffs it as the Boosters draw first
blood against the Meralco Bolts.

*All images by Nuki Sabio/PBA.ph

PETRON BLAZE BOOSTERS over MERALCO BOLTS, 91-84

Through three quarters, Alex Cabagnot was having a bad night, but when the game called for experience to step forward, Petron Blaze’s premier guard was the first to

fall in line. Cabagnot detonated a 12-0 bomb in the fourth quarter with rare back-to-back four-point plays and the Boosters wiggled out from a close contest to whip Meralco and move to within a win of advancing to the semifinal round of the PBA Philippine Cup.

One of the tournament’s leading candidates for the Best Player of the Conference first completed his four-point play by knocking down a three-point shot at the top of the key and drawing a foul from Chico Lanete, and then repeated the unusual offensive brilliance against Chris Timberlake at the right corner in the Boosters’ next possession.

Cabagnot finished with 14 points – 10 coming in the fourth – flicked 8 assists and pulled down 7 rebounds as the Boosters moved a win away from a second straight semifinal stint and eighth in the last nine conferences.

Arwind Santos had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Petron, Chris Lutz added 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Rob Reyes contributed 12 points, which matched his career-high.

Sol Mercado collected 18 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, Gabby Espinas had 13 points and Mark Cardona contributed 12 points and 5 steals for the Bolts, who are eyeing to make their first semifinal round appearance in only their second season in the league.

PBB 91 - Santos 19, Lutz 18, Cabagnot 14, Reyes 12, Miranda 11, Yeo 9, Sharma 4, Ildefonso 4, Doruelo 0, Baclao 0, Tugade 0.

MB 84 - Mercado 18, Espinas 13, Cardona 12, Isip 10, Taulava 9, Yee 7, Borboran 6, Timberlake 2, Macapagal 2, Omolon 2, Hugnatan 2, Lanete 1.

QS: 17-22, 40-40, 63-60, 91-84.

Mark Isip gets toppled into the Petron bench as
the Bolts fall into a 0-1 hole.

Alex Cabagnot's endgame heroics enabled the Boosters to
gain the upper-hand in the Best-of-3 series.

RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO-PAINTERS over BGY. GINEBRA KINGS, 112-105

Rain or Shine pulled off an epic feat that coach Yeng Guiao termed “coming back from jaws of hell.” The Elasto Painters showed their own never-say-die spirit against the never-say-die Ginebra team, coming from behind to pull off a win in overtime.

JR Quiñahan and Paul Lee combined for 29 points in the payoff period fuelling the Rain or Shine charge from 17 points down at 62-79. So vicious were the Elasto Painters in their fourth-quarter siege that they even got the chance to win the game right in regulation as they pulled ahead at 99-97 with 8.7 ticks left. The Kings forged the extension play as Willy Wilson came through with a buzzer-beating reversed lay-up. The Elasto Painters, however, roared on in OT and pulled through on clutch plays by Lee, Beau Belga, Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan.

Quiñahan produced team-highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 1:53 left in regulation. Lee struggled most of the way, but hit his stride when it mattered the most. He put in 19 points, including 12 free throws.

ROS 112 - Quinahan 21, Lee 19, Chan 14, Arana 12, Rodriguez 11, Belga 9, Norwood 7, Tang 7, Cruz 5, Matias 4, Ibanes 3, Buenafe 0.

BGK 105- Caguioa 25, Intal 16, Canaleta 16, Villanueva 16, Cortez 15, Wilson W. 9, Labagala 4, Mamaril4, Maliksi 0, Wilson J. 0.

QS: 20-20, 33-44, 56-69, 99-99, 112-105

The Kings can only look on as they move on the brink
of elimination in the 2011 Philippine Cup.

John Wilson takes a hit as the Painters come from
behind to steal Game 1.

Beau Belga can't help but smile as the Painters
move closer to a semifinals berth.

POWERADE TIGERS over B-MEG LLAMADOS, 131-123

Despite what he deemed as an affront to his team, Gary David seemed intent on just coasting along Sunday evening. Then came an incident that banished a teammate and fired him up for good. The result was David exploding for 37 points, lifting Powerade past B-MEG for the second straight game to crash the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup.

David scattered 23 of his points in the fourth period and overtime to lead the Tigers' charge from being No. 8 at the end of eliminations and past the top-seeded Lllamados to arrange a best-of-seven semis duel with either Bgy. Ginebra or Rain or Shine.

It marked only the third time in the league's 37-year-old history that such an upset occurred in the quarterfinals and coach Bo Perasol said it was about keeping the faith despite his team being down by as much as 17 points early and by 12 in the fourth period.

JV Casio scored 22 points and also had 10 assists while Mario Lassiter added 19 points, including an insurance triple in overtime. But it was David who was singled out by Perasol as foremost among those who made the upset happen.

David made just five of 13 shots in the first three quarters but wound up going 12-for-21 from the field, including a triple that tied it up at 115 in the last 11 seconds of regulation and ultimately forced overtime.

All after being fired up, he claimed, by a third quarter scrap between teammate Celino Cruz and B-Meg's Josh Urbiztondo. After being told something by Urbiztondo, Cruz tried to rush the former despite being restrained by game officials and other players and was banished for adopting a fighting stance.

POW 131 - David 37, Casio 22, Lassiter 19, Anthony 13, Vanlandingham 11, Kramer 10, Cruz 6, Antonio 6, Adducul 4, Lingganay 3, Allera 0, Crisano 0.

BML 123 - Raymundo 26, Simon 25, Yap J. 23, Pingris 14, De Vance 11, Barroca 10, De Ocampo 7, Reavis 3, Urbiztondo 2, Yap R. 2.

QS: 23-30, 47-57, 78-87, 115-115, 131-123