Boosters repulse Mixers, forge do-or-die tiff
SAN MIG COFFEE import Marqus Blakely runs into the defense of Arwind Santos of Petron in last night’s Game 6 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
With an effort that downplayed his refusing-to-lose attitude, Elijah Millsap came to Petron Blaze’s rescue when the game was truly on the line last night and set up a fitting end to its PBA Governors’ Cup title playoffs with San Mig Coffee.
Millsap scored nine straight points in the most critical time of the fourth period and the Boosters’ defense did its job on the other end for a 99-88 decision of the Mixers that took this title series into a deciding Game 7 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Petron blew a 16-point lead in the first half and an 11-point bubble at the start of the fourth to trail, 82-80, before Millsap went on a tear and carried the Boosters on his broad shoulders on the way to a 3-3 count.
“We didn’t want to lose this game,” Millsap said after shooting 13 of his 30 points in the fourth period that propped up Petron’s offense that was threatening to conk out. “This team is unbelievable. We didn’t take this game for granted.”
With Millsap taking care of hitting the baskets from inside and out, the rest of the gang held the Mixers scoreless for more than three minutes as the Boosters peeled away from an 85-86 game with eight unanswered points for 93-86 going into the final two minutes.
“It’s a Game 7 of the Finals. It’s a dream for every player and a coach to be in a situation like this,” said rookie Petron coach Gee Abanilla as he tries to prevent San Mig counterpart Tim Cone from winning his 15th overall title tomorrow.
For most of the night, it looked like it would be a stroll for the Boosters only for the Mixers to come up with their second win early in the fourth period behind Peter June Simon and Joe Devance.
And after Millsap drained his seventh straight point at the 4:48 mark to make it 87-86 for the Boosters, the Mixers went into that cold spell.
June Mar Fajardo scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds for Petron while Blakely paced the Mixers with 21 points and 11 boards.
