PBA: With Racela in charge, Petron wins second in a row

(Updated 9:48pm) With head coach Olsen Racela in full command, the Petron Blaze Boosters looked like a much-improved team. A popular preseason pick to advance to the Finals of the Philippine Cup, Petron bucked a tied score at halftime to stay in front comfortably come the latter part of the game, to win 110-98 over the GlobalPort Batang Pier, Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Earlier in the week, it was announced that Racela would be at the helm starting with this game, after taking a backseat to consultant Rajko Toroman during the first five games of the Philippine Cup. For tonight, at the very least, the switch worked, as things seemed to go the way of Petron. In addition to the successful "debut" of Racela, Arwind Santos put up another big game, 29 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks, while Marcio Lassiter made his PBA season debut, hitting a three in the dying moments of the match. The victory allowed Petron to go back to the .500 mark at 3-3. GlobalPort on the other hand, stayed in step with the Air21 Express at the bottom of the standings, as both teams now share 1-5 records. "With more games, they'll recognize. Kasi nasanay sila sa halfcourt set. But if they start recognizing which ones [possessions] to attack or pull back out, we'll be a more dangerous team especially on the break," said Petron head coach Olsen Racela, as the Boosters were able to tally 17 fast break points against Batang Pier. The Blaze Boosters broke a 48-all tie at the break with an 8-2 run, 56-50, early in the third. The combo of Willie Miller and Jason Deutchman gave the lead back to GlobalPort however, temporarily, 66-65, only for Jay Washington and Chris Lutz to create separation entering the final period, 76-68. Overall, Petron outscored GlobalPort in the period 28-20, as the big men combo of Santos and Washington combined for 16, and the team as a whole shot a sizzling 60 percent. There, the Batang Pier got as close as within five points, 96-91, after a triple by Miller and a free throw by rookie Vic Manuel with 3:41 remaining. But after a timeout by coach Racela, Alex Cabagnot, who had been called out by Arwind Santos prior to their game last Sunday, hit for five straight points to double their advantage to 101-91 at the 2:07 mark, to seal the win. Racela added after the game that he wasn't used to the absence of Toroman on the sidelines, saying, "That's one thing I have to get used to. But I have my players to thank; talagang sinusuportahan nila ako. "They know that this is practically my first game. They gave me words of encouragement. That meant a lot. Sinuklian ko naman yung mga salitang iyon with the trust that I gave them tonight." Chris Lutz stuffed the stats sheet as well for Petron, providing 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a block, while Jay Washington came off the bench for a mighty double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds. Alex Cabagnot chipped in 15 markers to go with nine dimes. The former RP Youth Team head coach however also stressed that the players did not nudge Toroman out of the picture after beginning the season with a 2-3 slate. "There was no petition from the players. It was management's decision. Hindi gagawin ng mga players iyon," Racela said, adding that he had been informed on Tuesday of the change in the coaching situation. With Toroman out, Racela had designated Gee Abanilla, head coach of the DLSU Green Archers, as his lead assistant. For GlobalPort, ninth overall pick Vic Manuel had a career outing of 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Willie Miller had 15 points and seven assists.  The Batang Pier were without sharpshooter Gary David for the fourth straight game. The Blaze Boosters out-rebounded their foes, 54-45.  - Renee Fopalan / AMD, GMA News The scores: PETRON 110 - Santos 29, Lutz 16, Washington 16, Cabagnot 15, Miranda 10, Yeo 9, Pena 8, Lassiter 3, Mallari 2, Duncil 2, Sison 0 GLOBALPORT 98 - Manuel 23, Miller 15, Deutchman 14, Antonio 13, Vanlandingham 9, Mandani 8, Vergara 6, Al-Hussaini 4, Adducul 3, Yee 2, Guevarra 1 Quarter scoring: 30-27, 48-48, 76-68, 110-98