Bakers avert 2nd meltdown; Cafe France survives Ama five

Carl Bryan Cruz leads Cafe France. PBA IMAGES

CAFE France bounced back from a shock loss, but the victory still wasn’t enough to impress coach Egay Macaraya in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup Tuesday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

“The boys were complacent,” said Macaraya after the Bakers downed AMA Online Education, 92-86, to secure solo second at 4-1.

“We need to show more energy and effort.”

Carl Bryan Cruz fired 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds to power the Bakers, a week after they blew a 20-point lead versus Tanduay.

Although the Bakers fended off a late rally this time, Macaraya still didn’t like the way his men allowed the winless Titans to trim their 18-point lead, 57-39, to just six at the buzzer.

In the other game, Racal sustained its commanding start to hack out a 122-60 rout of Blustar Detergent, a team with a core of veteran Malaysian players.

The Tile Masters closed out the first quarter with a 14-2 burst and kept the Dragons (0-4) at a distance the rest of the way.

“We tend to lose the game when we relax,” said Racal coach Caloy Garcia.

Six Racal players finished in double figures, led by Rob Celiz’s 17 points, as the Tile Masters climbed to a share of third at 3-1.

The Bakers held a comfortable lead for most of the game with Cruz, Congolese center Rod Ebondo (16 points and nine boards) and Aaron Jeruta (12 points) carrying the load.

The scores
First Game
CAFE FRANCE 92—Cruz 20, Ebondo 16, Jeruta 12, Zamar 11, Villahermosa 10, Manlangit 6, Parala 6, Opiso 4, Arim 3, Abundo 2, Casiño 2.
AMA ONLINE 86—McCarthy 25, Arambulo 18, Taganas 16, Publico 15, Siruma 8, Ragasa 2, Bragais 1, Montemayor Jo. 1, Jordan 0, Montemayor Je. 0.
Quarters: 27-19, 48-31, 72-59, 92-86
Second Game
RACAL 122—Celiz 17, Robles 14, Banal 13, Paniamogan 12, Maiquez 11, Neypes 10, Grey 9, Javier 9, Ortuoste 9, Ruaya 7, Corpuz 4, Gabawan 4, Ambulodto 2, Terso 1.
BLUSTAR 60—Kuek 15, Ting 12, Tiongson 12, Yeo 8, Choo 3, Liaw 2, Ma 2, Mak 2, Ong 2, Wong 2, Kamarrudin 0, Palma 0, Teo 0, Tong 0.
Quarters: 24-13, 58-28, 87-45, 122-60