MANILA, Philippines – Junior Powerade leaned on Mikee Reyes in the final period to repulse Blackwater Sports, 84-79, even as Erase Plantcenta barged into the victory column Tuesday in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Reyes, the cat-quick guard from the University of the Philippines, fired 13 of his 18 points in the final quarter as the Tigers launched their campaign in style and pinned a first loss in two games on the Elite.
Earlier, Erase Plantcena waxed hot from beyond the arc to roll to a 90-68 triumph over fellow newcomer Cagayan Rising Suns.
Finding their stride from the perimeter, Macky Acosta and Jet Vidal fired 10 of the 11 triples of the Erasers, who rebounded from an opening-day loss to Cafe France.
Acosta finished with 26 points after hitting six of seven from three-point range while Vidal fired 25, including four triples in 10 attempts.
“It was all about defense and execution on offense,” said Erase Plancenta coach Yong Garcia.
With Reyes at the helm, the Junior Tigers played with renewed urgency after a one-conference absence.
Reyes sparked the Tigers’ comeback, hitting the go-ahead triple from the right corner to break a deadlock at 62, with 8:24 remaining, and the Junior Powerade hung on from there. He had five points in a closing 7-0 run that sealed the win for the Tigers.
“Blackwater is one of the contenders this conference, so it’s a big confidence booster for us,” said Junior Powerade coach Ricky Dandan. “We were concerned that we only had eight players in practice because of injuries. But we were ready to play undermanned.”
Claude Cubo, who played for Cobra Energy Drink in the previous conference, had 18 points and nine rebounds, while Mike Silungan contributed 16 points.
Kelly Nabong finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Elite.
The Erasers took control with a 12-3 run to open the third quarter and raced to a 51-33 lead. Adding strength to the Erasers’ attack was Mark Sarangay, who finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Cedelf P. Tupas
The scores:
First Game
ERASE PLANTCENTA 90—Acosta 26, Vidal 25; Sarangay 12, Mangahas 8, Stevens 5, Ferreria 4, Dela Cruz 3, Del Rio 3, Flores 2, Melegrito 2, Lascuna 0, Pascual 0.
CAGAYAN 68—Arce 16; Tagarda 15, Lapuz 10, Agas 8, Castro 7, Macuha 4, Malig-on 4, Bulangis 2, Montemayor 0, Calabung 0, Eman 0.
Quarters: 24-15; 39-30; 70-52; 90-68
Second Game
JR. POWERADE 84—Reyes 18, Cubo 18, Silungan 16, Padilla 11, Lopez 9, Wong 8, Escueta 4, Gingerich 0, Hipolito 0, Gamboa 0.
BLACKWATER SPORTS 79—Nabong 17, Zamar 14, Celiz 14, Mandani 12, Camus 8, Ignacio 7, Ciriacruz G. 5, Fortuna 2, Pascual 0, Jeffries 0.
Quarters: 21-27; 40-46; 59-62; 84-79