Big first half lifts Powerade past Petron
After dropping two games in a row and a date with the streaking Petron Blaze Boosters up next, the Powerade Tigers knew they needed to come out strong and get back into their running game if they wanted to avoid a third straight defeat. They did just that, erecting leads of as many as 30 points and holding off the Blaze Boosters' last-minute rally to fashion out a 98-88 win Saturday night in Legazpi, Albay.
It was a good bounce-back game for the Tigers, who lost by nine to Barangay Ginebra and by 10 to Barako Bull, uncharacteristically giving up more than 100 points in both losses as their trademark defense was nowhere to be found.
They rediscovered their commitment to defense against Petron, particularly in the first half when they forced turnovers and bad shots on their way to a whopping 66-39 halftime lead. By this time, Gary David, Marcio Lassiter and Dwayne Jones were all in double digits in scoring.
"We made sure that we understood that if we play unselfish basketball, we will always have a chance," Powerade coach Bo Perasol said via SMS. "We also have to give importance to playing efficient defense."
Petron, playing without the injured Danny Ildefonso and Chris Lutz, scored the first basket of the game courtesy of Nick Fazekas, but it would turn out to be the Blaze Boosters' only lead. Powerade broke the game wide open midway through the first period with a 21-5 run that pushed them ahead 41-23 after the first 12 minutes. They continued the run in the second with David's three-point play making it 65-35 with 1:15 left. The Blaze Boosters couldn't get anything going on offense and managed only 16 points in the second period, which ended with Powerade leading 66-39.
The Tigers were still sitting on a comfortable 30-point bubble at 77-47 with about seven minutes left in the third and looked headed for an easy rout. Things got even bleaker for Petron when Arwind Santos picked up his fourth foul and had to sit out the rest of the period. Butwith their backs against the wall, the Blaze Boosters mounted a comeback. Joseph Yeo scored on a drive and hit a triple to spark a big 21-4 Petron run that brought the lead down to a more manageable deficit of 81-68 at the end of the third.
Petron kept pushing as the Tigers' cold shooting continued early in the fourth period, and when Fazekas hit a basket with just 5:34 left, the lead was down to double digits at 86-78. But the Tigers rediscovered their shooting just in time, as Doug Kramer hit a baseline jumper and Lassiter buried a big triple to push the lead back up to 91-78 with 4:26 left. After Fazekas scored, Kramer and Lassiter again teamed up, hitting a basket each to finally put the game away at 95-80 with 1:59 left.
It was the first meeting of the two teams since Commissioner Chito Salud shot down a trade proposal that would have sent Lassiter to Petron for Nonoy Baclao and Rey Guevarra. While Lassiter once again delivered with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, Baclao and Guevarra both weren't used even though Ildefonso and Lutz were sidelined, with Ato Agustin going with Rob Reyes in the post and Marc Agustin and Lordy Tugade in the wings.
David had 25 for Powerade, but only five in the second half, while Jones had 22. Fazekas led Petron with 21 and Denok Miranda added 19.
The win allowed Powerade to climb to a quadruple tie for second with a 3-2 record along with B-Meg, Barangay Ginebra, and surprise package Air21. Petron saw its three-game winning streak snapped as it slipped to 3-3 and a tie for sixth with Alaska. Talk 'N Text leads the pack with a 4-1 record. Five wins is generally regarded as the magic number for a team to make it to the quarterfinals. The top two teams at the end of the elimination round advance outright to the semifinals.
The Kings and the Llamados clash in crucial tiff today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with the winner gaining temporary hold of second place. Rain or Shine and Meralco, both struggling to stay alive with 1-4 and 2-4 records, meet in the first game.
E-mail: sid_ventura@yahoo.com. Twitter: @Sid_Ventura
