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REIGNING
collegiate Most Valuable Player Kevin de la Peña and
veteran Al Magpayo hit clutch baskets down the stretch
to power San Mig Coffee to a 73-65 win over hard-luck
Bacchus Energy Drink yesterday and barge into the
quarterfinals of the Philippine Basketball League V-Go
Extreme Energy Drink Cup at The Arena in San Juan.
With the
Coffee Kings protecting a slim 68-65 lead, the
six-foot-one de la Peña knocked in his third triple of
the game to finally unnerve the Bacchus Raiders with
barely 17 ticks left.
De la
Peña, who still has one more playing year for Mapua, led
a well-balanced attack by the Coffee Kings, a
performance big enough to snap a three-game losing run.
REY GUEVARRA plucks down
the rebound in a game between Bacchus Energy Drink and
San Mig Coffee in the Philippine Basketball League
Thursday. -- NONOY
LACZA
The
Coffee Kings finished the elimination tied with Mail and
More and Toyota Balintawak at 3-4. They, however, took
the first quarterfinals slot by virtue of their superior
quotient.
And no
matter what happens to their games in the next phase
involving Hapee Toothpaste and Harbour Centre, the
Coffee Kings are assured of a twice-to-beat advantage in
the quarters.
“It’s
good to win again. I’m glad they stepped up when we
needed it most,” said San Mig Coffee Koy Banal. “Now
they know how to handle the pressure.”
Banal
was particularly happy with the way Magpayo played after
a so-so showing in the team’s last two games.
The
six-foot-five Magpayo finished with 13 points and 11
rebounds, seven of them offensively, in 25 minutes of
action. He helped eased the pressure on Banal when he
buried a short jumper that gave them a 67-64 lead.
Bon-Bon Custodio had 14 and Neil Rañeses 12.
Mark
Cagoco led Bacchus with 15.
It was
another heartbreaking loss for Bacchus, which led most
of the game only to lose steam in the final quarter.
They led as may as 11 points, 27-16, early in the second
quarter.
The
Raiders, who scored just 13 points in the third and
fourth quarters, are winless in seven games.
In the
second game, Hapee Toothpaste completed a seven-game
sweep of the eliminations by trouncing Pharex, 103-80.
Gabe
Norwood fired a career-high 23 points, bettering his
previous high of 21 points. He also had seven assists
and four boards in 29 minutes of action.
The
Complete Protectors started hot as they scored 35 points
in the first quarter—their biggest production in the
opening quarter in years. Also shining for Hapee was
Reed Juntilla, who tallied 18 points, most of them
through the feeds of Norwood.
Hapee
put their lead beyond reach in the fourth as Francis
Mercado, Mark Borboran and Alfie Grijaldo joined the
fray. |
