Boracay clobbers Fruitas, paves way for Blackwater

JEFF Viernes sparkled in the clutch as Boracay Rum spoiled Fruitas’ bid for an automatic semifinal seat with a 63-54 victory yesterday in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

The shifty guard scattered six of his 12 points in the last two minutes to power the Waves, who also secured the No. 3 seed in the playoffs while paving the way for the Blackwater Elite to grab the second automatic semifinal slot.

The victory gave the wards of coach Lawrence Chongson their best finish in the elimination round in team history.

“This win is monumental for us,” said Chongson. “It’s the farthest we have gone. There’s a good chance we might just make the Final Four this year.”

Despite the loss, the Shakers, who finished the eliminations as fourth placers, will be armed with a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals against dangerous Big Chill beginning Tuesday.

The Waves will go up against EA Regen Med in the other quarterfinal pairing with Boracay Rum needing just a win to gain the semifinals.

NLEX, already assured of top seeding, refused to pull its punches and overwhelmed Jumbo Plastic, 81-70, in the first game, while Informatics finally scored a breakthrough win by whipping Hog’s Breath, 81-66.

The Road Warriors leaned on a balanced offensive led by Byron Villarias’ 14 points on their way to a ninth straight triumph.

Jeric Teng exploded for a conference-high 35 points, including 24 in the second half, as the Icons averted a tournament shutout.
With reports from Nicolo Pascual, Patty Perez, Nikka Valenzuela

The scores:
First Game
NLEX 81—Villarias 14, Garcia 13, Salva 12, Pascual J. 9, Ganuelas 7, Long 7, Alas 7, Hermida 5, Pascual R. 4, Camson 3, Amer 0, Taganas 0
JUMBO PLASTIC 70—Hayes 20, Mariano 16, Tan 16, Escueta 6, Dehesa 5, Najorda 2, Vidal 2, Acosta 2, Del Rosario 1, Gomez 0
Quarters: 17-11, 39-27, 58-52, 81-70

Second Game
BORACAY RUM 63—Viernes 12, Taha 11, Fernandez 9, Eguilos 8, Acibar 6, Siruma 5, Sabellina 5, Ilagan 4, Cabrera 3, Pasculado 0, Arellano 0, Tagarda 0
FRUITAS 54—Lastimosa 12, Escoto 9, Cruz 8, Escobal 8, Colina 5, Semira 5, Tolomia 3, Sentcheu 2, Caram 2, Mendoza 0, Pogoy 0, Antonio 0
Quarters: 10-15, 26-28, 43-40, 63-54

Third Game
INFORMATICS 81—Teng 35, Mabayo 14, Benitez 13, Acidre 10, Altamirano 5, Gamboa 2, Melegrito 2, Morales 0, Ablaza 0, Ibay 0, Montuano 0
HOG’S BREATH 66—Pacquiao 18, Robles 13, Morillo 9, Lima 6, Pangilinan 5, Cayabyab 5, Armecin 2, Eman 2, Alguno 2, Malinao 2, Macasaet 2, Rabalo 2
Quarters: 15-10, 41-27, 59-47, 81-66