INQUIRER Sports

GAMES TUESDAY (San Juan Gym)
3 p.m.?Oracle Residences vs. Pharex

MANILA, Philippines?Mark Barroca darted to the basket, went airborne lifting the ball with his right hand before switching it to his left at the last moment to lay it in over the much-taller Elmer Espiritu.

And just like that, Barroca showed what Oracle Residences had been missing in the past nine games in the PBL PG Flex Unity Cup.

Making up for his time away from the squad, Barroca returned to power the Titans to a 97-77 victory over the Cobra Energy Warriors Saturday that secured a seventh consecutive finals appearance for the Mikee Romero franchise at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym in Manila.

Playing with more confidence following his stint with the national team in the Fiba-Asia Champions Cup recently, the 5-foot-10 Barroca was virtually unstoppable, firing a career-high 30 points built on 13-of-20 shooting.

?I really wanted to win, before leaving for Japan on Monday,? said Barroca, who is set to leave with the Smart Gilas national team for a series of exhibition games in Japan.

The Titans made three consecutive defensive stops and Barroca buried back-to-back long jumpers?one off a slick crossover move on Val Acuna?as Oracle pulled away in the third quarter, 62-48.

?This was a well-fought series,? said Oracle?s rookie mentor Glenn Capacio, who will coach in his first finals when the Titans begin their best-of-five series with Pharex on Tuesday.

?It was really a total team effort. Cobra improved a lot and their players have matured. I?m happy we survived the series.?

The Titans dominated the first two games, but Cobra, behind Paul Lee, took the next two to forge a do-or-die duel and put Oracle on the brink of elimination for the first time since the team formerly known as Harbour Centre began winning the first of its sixth straight crowns.

But Capacio had the complement of a complete lineup for the first time since their third game in the eliminations with RP team members JR Cawaling, Mac Baracael and Aldrech Ramos combining for 13 points for the Titans, who grabbed their biggest lead at 96-74 on Chris Timberlake?s triple.

?Although we were winning in the eliminations after they left, I felt that there was really something missing with our game. Good thing the role players stepped up,? said Capacio, who will miss the RP team members in the first three games of the finals.

The scores:

ORACLE 97?Barroca 30, Maierhofer 14, Gaco 14, Timberlake 10, Cawaling 9, Fernandez 7, Labagala 5, Asoro 4, Baracael 2, Ramos 2.

COBRA 77?Lee 29, Cabahug 15, Llagas 12, Espiritu 8, Reyes 7, Martinez 3, Lingganay 2, Daroya 1, Acuna 0, Colina 0, Fortune 0, Fampulme 0.
Quarters: 20-22; 43-38; 71-59; 97-77