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TANAUAN CITY—Toyota
Otis refused to return to Manila, thinking that their
season would be over.
The
Sparks crawled back from a 10-point deficit in the last
four minutes and pulled off an improbable 89-86 win over
San Mig Coffee to stave off elimination in the 2008
Philippine Basketball League (PBL) Lipovitan Amino
Sports Cup Monday at the jam-packed President Jose P.
Laurel Gym.
The
Coffee Kings, who entered the quarterfinal round with a
twice-to-beat incentive, appeared to have their way in
the semis after erecting a comfortable 86-76 lead with
3:52 left in the game.
But
Toyota’s patience and hard work paid off as the Sparks
silenced San Mig Coffee the rest of the way to force a
rubber match on Wednesday at the Oreta Sports Complex in
Malabon City.
“In the
last four minutes, we played it by possession. I told
them to give them just one attempt, then we convert. We
just believed in ourselves,” said Sparks head coach
Ariel Vanguardia.
“It’s
either taking the chance [of extending the series] or
going home. And the players did not want to go home,”
Vanguardia added.
RJ Jazul
played a vital role in
Toyota’s
13-0 run, hitting a three-pointer and providing the
hustle plays that helped the Sparks rise from the grave
and keep their season alive.
Jazul
and Patrick Cabahug had a three-pointer each when Toyota
scored the next 10 points to tie the score at 86 with
1:54 remaining.
Jaypee
Alcaraz turned the ball over and Leo Losentes missed his
jumper in San Mig Coffee’s two possessions, paving the
way for two free throws by veteran Erick Rodriguez to
give
Toyota
an 88-86 edge with 18.7 ticks left.
Again,
the Coffee Kings succumbed to pressure as Neil Raneses,
usually a reliable pointman for coach Koy Banal, muffed
a wide-open 15-foot jumper.
San Mig
Coffee was given another chance when it forced a
jumpball after Raneses’s miss. But Erick de la Cuesta’s
three-point heave just kissed the ring and Sparks center
Chito Jaime collared the board and sealed the win with
one more free throw.
Jazul
led Toyota with 18 points and five assists, while
Villanueva chipped in 15. San Mig’s Raneses had a
game-high 25 points, but was held to just two in the
final canto.
The game
was halted for 10 minutes after a downpour caused the
playing court to become slippery.
In the
second game, Burger King silenced Pharex in the game’s
last two minutes to escape with a 77-71 win and claim
the third semifinal seat in the tournament.
Khiel
Misa had 17 points, while Kelvin Gregorio contributed 16
for the Whoppers, who needed just one win to advance in
the best-of-five semifinals.
Ian
Saladaga had 18 markers for Pharex, which has already
overachieved in the conference, winning seven games
after a two-win stint previously.
Meanwhile, Harbour Centre, the No. 1 seed in the semis,
has yet to divulge its choice as its opponent in the
next round as it also awaits the winner between Toyota
Otis and San Mig Coffee. |
