Phoenix rallies past Meralco to clinch PBA quarterfinal berth

ANTIPOLO — Phoenix Super LPG became the latest to punch a quarterfinal ticket in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup following a 105-101 come-from-behind victory over Meralco at the Ynares Center here on Friday night.

The Fuel Masters turned the game around early in the final period after trailing by as much as 13 points before putting together the decisive 9-0 run toward a 101-91 lead with 2:37 to spare, practically putting the game out of reach.

Eventually, Coach Charles Tiu & Co. would complete a group-phase sweep of the Bolts, in the process improving to 5-3 to break a tie and overtake Rain or Shine (4-3)—for now—at the second spot of a truly competitive Group B.

(C) PBA Images

Phoenix has also become just the second team from the pool to reach the final eight after current leaders Magnolia, which punched its ticket following a 112-93 rout of Barangay Ginebra in their Manila Clasico rematch last Sunday.

And it could earn a better seeding for the playoffs’ first round should it take care of business against the in-danger Kings this Sunday, still in this venue. The crowd darlings are currently tied at fifth with Blackwater with 3-5 cards.

“Hopefully we can still go for the win sa last two games for a better seed,” said Tiu as they will finish their eliminations against the Elasto Painters on Oct. 23.

Rivero led the Fuel Masters with 26 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. New import Marcellus Earlington finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds plus five assists as he led their strong fourth-quarter attack to top Meralco.

BJ Johnson’s replacement scored 14 in the said period, almost scoring half of the team’s total output as the crew poured in 31 to finish the bout.

Earlington was also part of the crew that put together the aforementioned rally to put it away, knocking down a big triple for the 99-91 lead with 3:06 left.

Also contributing to that assault was Kai Ballungay, who wound up with 17 points. Kenneth Tuffin delivered a double-double of his own with 16 and 10, while Gian Mamuyac and Tyler Tio added 13 and 10 markers, respectively.

“We challenged the team that this is not the team that we know. It’s basically about not being soft. We’re acting as if we would not get eliminated if we don’t get the win. That’s the challenge,” said Tiu about their second-half fightback.

(C) PBA Images

Jordon Varnado had 36 points and seven rebounds plus four assists to lead the Bolts, who finished the group stage with a 4-6 record and will now have to wait whether or not they could salvage a spot in the playoffs.

CJ Cansino made 18 points and five rebounds while Bong Quinto and Jason Brickman added at least 10 each in the loss that’s indeed tough for a squad that has reached the semifinals of the previous two conferences this season.

The Scores:

Phoenix Super LPG 105 – Rivero 26, Earlington 20, Ballungay 17, Tuffin 16, Mamuyac 13, Tio 10, Delos Santos 2, Escandor 1, Chua 0, Ando 0, Santos 0.

Meralco 101 – Varnado 36, Cansino 18, Quinto 14, Brickman 10, Newsome 7, Hodge 6, Banchero 6, Bates 4. Mocon 0.

Quarterscores: 20-27, 42-52, 74-76, 105-101.

The post Phoenix rallies past Meralco to clinch PBA quarterfinal berth appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.