Dannny Oldefonso vs Don Allado. PBA IMAGES/Nuki Sabio photo
MANILA, Philippines – Barako Bull pulled the rug from under Petron Blaze and hacked out a 111-107 come-from-behind triumph over Petron Blaze Friday in the 2012 PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kept at bay the entire game, the Energy’s relentless attack finally paid off and tied the game at 105 before a fingeroll from Ronald Tubid with 33.8 ticks left gave them the final lead.
Tubid notched 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting for Barako Bull, who is now at 2-2, but it was the new import Leroy Hickerson who shouldered the bulk of the offense with 32 points.
Hickerson, who arrived here Friday morning, poured of his 15 points all in the third quarter which kept Barako Bull within striking distance.
Replacing Jamine Peterson whose output diminished per game, Hickerson also added eight rebounds, seven assists with a block and a steal.
“There’s a point in the game where he let the locals run the show at one point,” said head coach Junel Baculi of Hickerson. “I hope he won’t go down the path of Peterson.”
Willie Miller’s contributions were also invaluable as his 12-point fourth quarter output inched the Energy closer, and a split from the line with 13.8 seconds left gave them a three-point breather.
The Boosters, who led by 14 points at one point, kept its distance for most of the game but failed to take care of the advantage in the fourth quarter.
Jay Washington exploded for 23 points, 11 in the third, but his potential game tying triple with less than 10 seconds left rattled out.
Edward Basden paced Petron Blaze, now with a 3-2 record, with 23 points and 12 rebounds along with three steals.