June Mar Fajardo of Petron (light) vs Danny Ildefonso of Meralco (dark). PBA IMAGE by Nuki Sabio
MANILA, Philippines – Petron Blaze kept its chase for the no.2 spot going following a 96-87 win over playoff hopeful Meralco in the 2014 PLDT myDSL Philippine Cup Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
June Mar Fajardo led all scorers with 19 points through three quarters to go along with 15 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season for the Boosters, who ended the elimination round with a 10-4 record.
“It’s a big win for us against Meralco. Good way to bounce back after a loss,” said Petron coach Gee Abanilla, whose team rebounded from a blowout defeat at the hands of a surging San Mig Coffee side last Wednesday.
“And coming into the quarterfinals, we want to have some sort of momentum, some sort of positive attitude. As of now we still have a chance for the top two though it’s slim,” added Abanilla.
Petron will now hope for an Air21 upset win over Rain or Shine, who currently sits at second, later.
A loss by the Elasto Painters would have them disputing the second spot and the twice-to-beat incentive that comes with it with the Boosters on Monday.
Chris Ross gave Petron an offensive lift with 18 points off-the-bench with Marcio Lassiter out after flying to the US Wednesday night to attend to his grandmother’s funeral. He will be back on Monday.
Gary David paced Meralco, which will book a quarterfinals ticket with a Barako Bull win over Alaska on Sunday, with 18 points.
A win by the Aces would pit them against the Bolts in a knockout for the last playoff spot and a date with top contender Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Danny Ildefonso held his own against student June Mar Fajardo with 17 points in his first game against his former team, which he played for 15 years before being signed by Meralco midway through the conference.
Ildefonso and Fajardo engaged in entertaining battles at the post to the delight of the crowd.