The series between Petron Blaze and Rain or Shine
took a significant turn when the Boosters snuck past the Painters and erected a
commanding 2-0 series lead in the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals.
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| June Mar Fajardo dropped a career game in Petron's big win over Rain or Shine. |
Last night’s lone game had Petron Blaze scraping by Rain
or Shine, 90-88. June Mar Fajardo was in Kracken mode, unloading a career game
to propel Petron to within a win of the Govs' Cup Finals. The Gilas big man
produced 26 points on 12/17 FG shooting while also adding 14 rebounds and 2
assists. He was dominant, especially in the third period when the Boosters put
some distance between themselves and the undermanned Painters.
Speaking of undermanned, coach Yeng Guiao's wards
played without sparkplugs Ryan Arana and JR Quinahan in this critical game due
to an assortment of injuries. Both guys joined Paul Lee in sick bay. With many
of its weapons out of commission, it sure looks like it's just a matter of time
before Arizona Reid and Co. bite the dust.
Judging by the way Petron is playing, it won't be a
surprised if the Boosters sweep this series and continue their strong play in
the Finals. They're just clicking on all cylinders, and a different guy steps
up every night to deliver a victory for the team. This is probably the kind of dominant
play SMC management envisioned when they put this crop of players together.
Finally, it seems all the wheeling and dealing is paying off.
Game Recaps:
PETRON over
RAIN OR SHINE, 90-88
June Mar Fajardo dominated down low, finishing with a
career-high 26 points and 14 rebounds to carry the Petron Blaze Boosters to a
pulsating 90-88 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game Two of
their Governors’ Cup semifinals series on Wednesday at Cuneta Astrodome.
The rookie big man from Cebu scored 14 points,
including three dunks, in the third quarter, allowing the Boosters to take
command against the shorthanded Elasto Painters.
Petron was still up by nine points, 89-80, with less
than two minutes left before Rain or Shine came roaring back. The Elasto
Painters were within a single point after a putback by Beau Belga with 7.7
seconds left.
Rain or Shine sent Elijah Millsap to the foul line,
and the Petron import split his free throws to give the Elasto Painters one
last shot to tie the game.
But Arizona Reid missed a shot at the buzzer for Rain
or Shine, allowing Petron to escape.
“June Mar Fajardo really stepped up for us,” said
Petron coach Gee Abanilla. The 6-foot-10 slotman made 12-of-17 attempts from
the field, making up for the poor shooting performance from Millsap, who
managed just 19 points after scoring 41 in the series opener.
Fajardo grabbed nine offensive rebounds, helping the
Boosters score 25 second chance points.
“I think the past few games, June Mar has been
asserting himself down low,” said Abanilla, who credited veteran center Danny
Ildefonso for helping Fajardo develop his game. The young center’s career night
followed up his 15-point 17-rebound performance in Game One of the series.
Abanilla paid tribute to the hard-fighting Elasto
Painters squad, who played without JR Quinahan and Ryan Arana because of
injuries after already losing Paul Lee before the series began.
Reid carried the fight for Rain or Shine with 39
points, 18 rebounds, and five assists.
“We knew it was gonna be a good comeback by Rain or
Shine,” said Abanilla. “We just got lucky in the end.”
The victory, Petron’s 11th straight in the
tournament, gave the Boosters a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. But Abanilla
warned his team against celebrating too early.
“Complacency is the real enemy for us,” he said.
Petron has a chance to close out the series on
Saturday when the two teams meet in Game Three, also at Cuneta Astrodome.
PET 90 – Fajardo 26, Millsap 19, Santos 16, Lassiter 13, Lutz
4, Tubid 4, Lanete 3, Cabagnot 3, Kramer 2.
ROS 88 – Reid 39, Chan 11, Cruz 8, Belga 8, Ibanes 8, Norwood
6, Matias 3, Tiu 2, Rodriguez 2, Jaime 1, Uyloan 0, Tang 0.
QS: 24-26,
42-40, 70-64, 90-88
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| Arwind Santos hangs onto the rim after a slam. |
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| Jeff Chan tries to drive past the Spiderman. |
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| Stephon Marbury and Commish Chito Salud share some pleasantries. |
Source:
Unless otherwise specified, game recaps were compressed and compiled from InterAKTV.
(Writing credit to Rey Joble)
Images: Images
are from InterAKTV. (Photo credit to Pranz Kaeno Billones)
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