Petron Blaze Boosters gain PBA Finals

MANILA—Petron Blaze worked hard enough to get the win it needed and then got the clinching push to the best-of-seven Finals from sister squad Barangay Ginebra later in the night to seal a championship clash with Grand Slamseeking Talk ‘N Text for the PBA Governors’ Cup.

Anthony Grundy fired 35 points and led the Boosters to a 98-83 win over the Tropang Texters.

The Gin Kings made sure the Boosters sail safely into the Finals by posting a 103-95 rout of Rain or Shine at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Grundy tossed in 23 points in the final two quarters and the Boosters played with complete control towind upwith an 8-5 record, the same final slate of the Kings, who missed the Finals because of an inferior quotient.

“It’s something new in my coaching career— that you had a chance to get to the championship and you didn’t, even if you won (the final game),” Ginebra’s Jong Uichico told scribes later.

“Hadwewonsomeof the games thatwelost, it would have been different.”

The Petron-Talk ‘N Text showdown for the season-ending championship starts at 7 p.m. Sunday with the Texters seeking to become just the fifth team in the league’s 36 years to complete a sweet sweep of all three tournaments in a year.

“No, I didn’t expect it at all,” Petron coach Ato Agustin said in Filipino when asked if he had an inkling that it would be this easy. “I also thought that we played well, played good defense and moved the ballwell.

Five players, led by Ronald Tubid who had 18 points, finished in twin digits for the Kings even as Beau Belga paced the Painters with 20 as Rain or Shine sat down Arizona Reid in what was a no-bearing game for them.

The Texters, who sealed a Finals appearance as early as Wednesday, were paced by Larry Fonacier’s 16 points coming off the bench.

A victory by the Elasto Painters over the Kings would have shoved idle Alaska opposite Talk ‘N Text in the Finals.

Arwind Santos scattered 19 points and plucked down 16 rebounds and Danny Ildefonso and Mick Pennisi tossed in 10 points each for the Boosters, whose last championship came in the 2009 Fiesta Conferencewith Gabriel Freeman.

But the Boosters would play the series without three key components in super rookie Rabeh Al-Hussaini, all-star Jay Washington, and spitfire Joseph Yeo.

With the win, Petron thus became just the only team to beat the Texters twice in the tournament.

The scores:
First Game
PETRON 98— Grundy 35, Santos 19, Ildefonso 10, Pennisi 10, Salvacion 8, Miranda 7, Cabagnot 5, Baclao 2, Guevarra 2, Duncil 0, Hubalde 0.
TALK ‘N TEXT 83— Fonacier 16, Williams 11, Carey 10, Reynolds 9, Yee 8, Alapag 7, Peek 7, Castro 5, Alvarez 4, Oreta 3, Dillinger 3, Reyes 0, Lao 0. Quarters: 20-17, 47-34, 76-56, 98-83 Second Game GINEBRA 103— Tubid 18, Wilson J. 16, Cortez 16, Menk 14, Caguioa 10, De Ocampo 9, Sloan 6, Wilson W. 6, Canaleta 4, Intal 2, Mamaril 2, Labagala 0, Aquino 0, Helterbrand 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 95— Belga 20, Rodriguez 12, Buenafe 11, Cruz 10, Norwood 9, Chan 8, Arana 8, Vanlandingham 5, Ferriols 4, Jazul 3, Matias 3, Ibanes 2, Tang 0.
Quarters: 23-19, 46-42, 73-65, 103-95