PBA-DL: Air21 JRU Heavy Bombers' artillery blasts Big Chill Superchargers out of the postseason

The Air21 JRU Heavy Bombers blasted the Big Chill Superchargers, 80-71, to seal a series upset and gain a semifinals berth in the PBA-DL Aspirants Cup, Thursday, at the Ynares Sports Center. After trading runs throughout the game, the fifth-seeded Heavy Bombers used a 15-3 rally midway through the fourth quarter to pull off a series upset against the fourth-ranked Superchargers, who had been armed with a twice-to-beat advantage. [Related: Air21 JRU force do-or-die game for semis spot versus Big Chill] On Tuesday, the Heavy Bombers strung several transition baskets together, producing a 6-0 run late in the fourth period to edge the Superchargers, 63-61. The Heavy Bombers played a balanced offense and had eight players score at least seven markers. Dexter Maiquez scored 10 points in the final period to total 18 markers and 14 rebounds, including a 10-for-18 mark from the charity stripe. John Villarias added 12 points, while Philip Paniamogan tallied 10 points. In the first quarter, the Heavy Bombers found easy points from fast break opportunities, led by Khasim Mirza's five markers. But after initial struggles in the halfcourt set, Alex Nuyles boosted the Superchargers, by scoring seven points and pushing Big Chill ahead, 13-9. With three-and-a-half minutes remaining, Jeckster Apinan and Dexter Maiquez out-hustled their counterparts to produce an 8-0 run for Air21 JRU to give them their first lead of the game. But in the last minute, Big Chill reserves Ryan Buenafe, Rodney Brondial and Mac Montilla replied with six unanswered points, allowing the Superchargers to retain a 19-17 advantage after one quarter. Nard Pinto opened the second period with a trey for the Heavy Bombers, but they were hurt by Big Chill's penetration and offensive rebounding. Then a Buenafe trey made it a 26-20 game with six minutes remaining in the first half. In response, Michael Mabulac muscled his way beneath the basket, scoring seven in an 11-2 stretch until the final minute of the second quarter. However Nuyles drew a foul on a jump shot and completed an and-one play, the Superchargers' second field goal in the last six minutes, to knot the score at 31-all at halftime. When play resumed, Big Chill channeled their offense through Nuyles, who used his penetration moves to score or assist on the Superchargers' first 11 points. On the other hand, Philip Paniamogan kept Air21 JRU afloat with his two triples as they trailed, 42-41. But with under three minutes remaining, John Villarias scored eight straight points, including two triples, to put the Heavy Bombers back up by six. Apinan added a pair of drives to complete a 12-5 run with under a minute to play. The Superchargers managed only three more points from Brondial and Jesse Collado, and now trailed after three quarters, 53-50. Villarias and Paniamongan combined for 16 of the Heavy Bombers' 22 points in the third period. In the fourth quarter, Maiquez and the rest of Air21 JRU attacked the rim at every chance and hustled for loose balls and offensive boards. The effort, capped by a trey by Anthony Del Rio, produced a 9-3 run for the Heavy Bombers. Mabulac and Pinto then added transition buckets to establish a 66-54 lead with five minutes remaining. The Superchargers got only their second field goal with a Bringas layu-p off a Nuyles dish, 68-56, with under four minutes left on the clock. The bucket triggered a 10-2 run, including five by Bringas himself, to make it a 70-64 game with a minute and a half to play. Air21 JRU took a timeout and Buenafe fouled Villarias before the inbounds, giving the guard a technical free throw, which he canned. That was followed by Maiquez scoring on a put-back play, effectively denied the Superchargers any real chance at a comeback. Both teams were turnover-prone throughout the game, totaling 43 errors and 50 turnover points. However, Air21 JRU held the edge in fast break buckets (12-4) and three-point conversions (6-of-13, or 46.2 percent, versus 4-of-16, or 25 percent). The Heavy Bombers also led the Superchargers in free throws. Air21 JRU nailed 22-of-33 tries, or 66.7 percent, while on the other hand, Big Chill made only 15-of-24 attempts, or 62.5 percent. Alex Nuyles had 21 points and four assists for the Superchargers, both game-highs. Arvie Bringas and Rodney Brondial notched double-doubles with 14 points and 12 boards, and 13 points and 11 rebounds, respectively, and Ryan Buenafe also scored 10 points. - AMD, GMA News The scores Air21 JRU 80: Maiquez 18, Villarias 12, Paniamogan 10, Mabulac 9, Del Rio 9, Apinan 8, Pinto 7, Mirza 7, Lopez 0, Almario 0, Ighalo 0, Miranda 0 Big Chill 71: Nuyles 21, Bringas 14, Brondial 13, Buenafe 10, Montilla 6, Collado 3,Semira 2, Villahermosa 2, Holstein 0, Montecastro 0, Canlas 0, Lozada 0 Quarter scores: 17-19, 31-31, 53-50, 79-71