PBA: Powerade bucks odds, lives to fight Meralco

(Updated 10:29pm) The Powerade Tigers survived three quarters without superstar sniper Gary David and eliminated the Barako Bull Energy from semifinals contention, 99-95, Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, as the playoffs for the sixth spot in the next round of the PBA Governors' Cup continues.

"Laking bagay ang pag-step-up ni Josh [Vanlandingham], then Omar [Sneed] leading the way," said Powerade head coach Bo Perasol. "Napunuan ng mga bench players yung kakulangan."

David was limited to just 11 minutes of play, but poured in 13 points, before he had to take the bench by an ankle injury at the onset of the second quarter. He tried testing it during the intermission, but could not run without pain, which resulted in him watching from the tunnel.

X-rays were negative for David, and the prognosis was said to be midfoot arthritis. "It's going to be tough," admitted Perasol. "We may be able to do it one game without him, but it's gonna take its toll on us in the long run."  


Barako had a slight edge in the opening seconds of the game, before Powerade hit three straight triples to tie and eventually grab the lead, 18-12. The Tigers continued to keep the Energy at bay, as Gary David and JVee Casio hit key three's to stay ahead, 28-24. With 3.7 seconds remaining in the first, Willie Miller would make two freethrows to bring Barako closer at the end of the first period, 28-26.

The Energy finally found themselves with the lead again several times in the second period, but Josh Vanladingham hit three-pointers the last two occasions to keep Powerade ahead.

An Omar Sneed drive put the Tigers up 52-49 with 3.1 seconds remaining, but Mick Penissi would complete a three-point play at the other end to tie the game up at 52-all entering halftime.

Leroy Hickerson would open the second half with a reverse lay-up to put Barako up on top, 54-52, but it was the last time the Energy would have a taste of the lead, as the Tigers would go on a 16-5 run to get ahead, 68-59.

With David out, Casio found a willing option in Vanlandingham, who hit a jumper off a screen for Powerade's biggest lead, 73-61. Danny Seigle tried to keep the Energy in the game, but a pair of three-pointers from Vanlandingham and Sean Anthony secured the lead for Powerade at the end of the third, 79-70.

Five straight points by Seigle in the opening seconds of the final quarter had Barako inching closer, 79-75, but Powerade continued to hit their shots to re-establish a double-digit lead, 89-78.

In the final three minutes, a Miller split at the line brought the lead down to six, 95-89, but Casio would hit a teardrop on the other end to extend the lead yet again, 97-89.

A pair of Don Allado free throws put Barako within six yet again, 97-91, with 1:22 remaining in the game, but Powerade wisely drained the game clock on the other end.


With one minute remaining, Vanladingham grabbed a crucial offensive rebound off a Sneed miss to secure a fresh set of 24 seconds. After a Guevarra miss, Hickerson hit a lay-up to bring the lead down to four, 97-93, with six seconds remaining.

Needing to foul, Barako Bulle sent Vanlandingham to the line, but he made both free throws to secure the win for the Tigers with 4.4 seconds left in the game, 99-93. A Hickerson uncontested dunk settled the final score, 99-95.

Omar Sneed led all scorers with 24 points on 50 percent shooting. He also just missed a triple-double, pitching in 15 points, eight rebounds, five steals and a block in an impressive performance.

Josh Vanlandingham backed him up with 18 markers, including 12 on four triples, while Sean Anthony, Rey Guevarra and Jayvee Casio each added 10.

The Energy drew a 20-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist outing from Leroy Hickerson, and another 20 points from veteran Danny Seigle but it wasn't enough.

Doug Kramer added a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds against his former team, while Wilie Miller had just 10 points, six coming from the foul line.

Despite no Gary David for majority of the game, Powerade still poured it in from downtown, making 10-of-26 from downtown, minus David's attempts. They also got a big edge in second-chance points, 17 to 8, despite pulling down just three more offensive rebounds than their opponents.

Barako Bull actually shot better from the field, 48.7 percent versus Powerade's 45.7 clip, and had more conversions from the line, 15 versus 12, but still couldn't pull off the win.

As a result of their win, Powerade gets to survive, but it could be for just one more day, as they play the Meralco Bolts in the final knockout game on Wednesday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum once more.

But the question headed into that game will obviously be, "Will Gary David play?" When asked, the former Lyceum of the Philippines University standout clearly wanted to give it a go, describing his injury as "playable."  

"Kung may paraan na magagawa ngayon, gaga win ko talaga jun," he said.

"Mas gusto ko pa maglaro kesa manood kasi mas ninenerbyos ako pag nanonood." - Renee Fopalan / AMD/OMG, GMA News


The scores:

Powerade 99 - Sneed 24, Vanlandingham 18, David 13, Anthony 10, Guevarra 10, Casio 10, Lingganay 7, Salvador 4, Belasco 2, Tugade 1, Adducul 0.

Barako Bull 95 - Hickerson 20, Seigle 20, Kramer 14, Miller 10, Tubid 9, Pennisi 8, Cruz 7, Allado 7, Vergara 0, Salvacion 0.

Quarter scoring: 28-26, 52-52, 79-70, 99-95