PBA: Barako completes night of upsets, pulls through against Petron

(Updated 10:36pm) Former Petron Blaze Boosters Denok Miranda took over in the endgame, scoring or assisting on 11 of Barako Bull's last 13 points to pull the rug from beneath his former club, 92-88, in the PLDT MyDSL 2014 PBA Philippine Cup, Friday, at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The game was the team's first win over the Petron franchise since the 2005-2006 season. Barako Bull also won their second straight, triumphing in three of their last four, and improving to fifth place at 5-7. Petron, 8-3, lost three of their last four and tie Rain or Shine at second place.

Dorian Pena had a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds, while JC Intal scored 17 points and six rebounds. Miranda finished with 11 points and nine assists, and rookie Carlo Lastimosa added 10 points.

Miranda orchestrated an 8-2 run for his team, including a JC Intal layup off his dish, to Barako an 87-85 lead with under two minutes to play. A minute later, Miranda fed an open Willie Miller for a jumper on the left wing, 89-85.

Alex Cabagnot drained three free throws after getting fouled beyond the arc, 89-88, to get the Boosters within a point. The Energy called timeout and Miranda came through once more, saving a near-turnover by Miller and firing a bullet pass to Intal for a one-handed flush, 91-88, with 28 seconds left.

The Boosters tried to counter but turned the ball over, as referees ruled that Chris Lutz stepped out of bounds right before receiving the ball for a three-point attempt. The ball changed hands and found its way back to Miranda, who was fouled and sent to the stripe with 7.9 left. He buried the second charity to forge the final score.

"We have to show them a different look because basketball is a game of adjustments," said Energy head coach Bong Ramos, who pointed out that his defensive schemes were crucial in throwing the Boosters off their game. "As we said, we'll continue to surprise teams. We're lucky that June Mar [Fajardo] didn't play, but even so, they were coming off a convincing win against Talk 'N Text, the defending champions."

"I want to thank the players for pushing themselves na maka-upset kami ulit," he said. "Siguro ngayon nagdedevelop na ang bawa't isa sa isa't isa... Nagagamay ko na rin sila at nagagamay na rin nila ako."

Despite missing several point-blank shots, Barako Bull seized a 17-16 lead in the first quarter thanks to Dorian Pena's post scoring and playmaking. Petron had some success against the Energy's zone, leading to buckets for Doug Kramer inside, but couldn't make them pay by striking from deep.

Mark Isip and Carlo Lastimosa combined for Barako Bull's last seven points, establishing a 24-21 advantage after the first period.

In the second quarter, Petron fielded a small perimeter lineup of Ronald Tubid, Chico Lanete and Alex Cabagnot that worked to their advantage. Each nailed a three-pointer, while Cabagnot in particular splashed contested jumpers during a 19-4 barrage, 40-28.

JC Intal scored in transition at the 4:15 mark, giving the Energy just their second bucket of the frame. Barako Bull broke through and found scoring opportunities inside, but were unable to contain the Boosters' penetration on the other end. Chris Lutz laid the ball in with 12 seconds left to give Petron a 47-36 lead at halftime.


Barako Bull had a strong start to the second half, with Pena going hard at the basket while Rico Maierhofer and JC Intal leaked out on the break. The Energy cut the lead to four, 53-49, after a Maierhofer slam over Yousef Taha.

Petron pushed back, as Marcio Lassiter and Lutz led a brief 11-3 rally, 64-52, but Barako Bull ended the frame trailing by just single digits. Ronjay Buenafe, Mick Pennisi and Willie Miller all connected from deep in the last three minutes, to arrive at the 71-63 scoreline.

The Energy leapt in front after a barrage of baskets in the fourth, as drives by Buenafe and Denok Miranda sandwiched back-to-back Pennisi treys, 73-71. Petron countered and muscled their way inside, resulting in a 12-6 run capped by split charities from Lutz, 83-79, setting the table for Miranda's heroics.

Chris Lutz led Petron with 17 points and four assists. Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos each had 15 markers, while Cabagnot added five assists and Santos nine rebounds.

Barako Bull shot 35-of-77 (45.5 percent) from the floor against Petron's 30-of-81 (37 percent) mark. Barako Bull also won on the boards, 53-44.

[Related: Barako completes night of upsets, pulls through against Petron]

In the curtain-raiser, last-place Air21 Express dethroned defending champions Talk 'N Text, 102-100. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Barako Bull 92 - Pena 18, Intal 17, Miranda 11, Lastimosa 10, Pennisi 9, Maierhofer 7, Miller 7, Isip 6, Buenafe 5, Wilson 2, Macapagal 0, Jensen 0

Petron 88 - Lutz 17, Cabagnot 15, Santos 15, Lanete 8, Kramer 8, Lassiter 7, Tubid 6, Taha 4, Deutchman 4, Ross 4

Quarter scoring: 24-21, 36-47, 63-71, 92-88