Viray steers Pacific Pipes past Cobra in final PBA D-League game

RnW Pacific Pipes team captain Jim Viray steered the Steelmasters to a 74-59 trouncing of the Cobra Energy Drink Ironmen in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup on Wednesday at the San Juan Gym. Viray tallied 23 points and three rebounds in his last game in the league as the former San Sebastian Stag will be migrating to Australia with his wife on Thursday. "This could have been my favorite moment since this is my first time to be a best player of the game in the two seasons that I played in the D-League," said Viray, who helped the Steelmasters improve to a 4-3 win-loss record. Viray was signed by Barako Bull as a free agent in 2009 before joining the D-League. Cobra remained winless after seven games. Viray put on a one-man show in the third period as the veteran shooting guard took charge for Pacific Pipes on both ends of the floor. He opened the quarter with back-to-back three-pointers to give the Steelmasters a comfortable 42-29 lead. Cobra's feisty young gunners, however, kept the Ironmen afloat with Biboy Enguio firing three straight three-point bombs to move the Jerry Codiñera-coached squad within four (42-38). Viray again came to the Steelmasters' rescue scoring five straight unanswered points and connecting twice from beyond the arc before the end of the third. Andretti Stevens then teamed up with Claude Cubo and JM Noble to lead Cobra's final offensive push in the fourth. But a JR Buensuceso three-point play plus Viray's consecutive three-pointers thwarted the comeback bid of the Ironmen. Enguio and Jam Cortes' early baskets gave Cobra a brief 7-2 lead midway in the opening quarter. Buensuceso dropped five points as RnW slowly got its offensive rhythm. — JVP/KG, GMA News