Ascof stays in the hunt for PBL semis berth

Mark Canlas and Bam Gamalinda teamed up to help Ascof Lagundi keep its semis hopes alive as the Cough Busters cruised to a 78-65 decision over Ani-FCA Tuesday night in the 2010 PBL PG Flex-Erase Placenta Cup at The Arena in San Juan City.

But the semis fate of the Cough Busters, one of the pre-season favorites but struggled this conference, also rest on sister teams Cobra Energy Drink and Cossack Blue. Ascof, for them to join early semifinalists Pharex B Complex and Excelroof, must hope that Cobra and Cossack loses their last assignments on Thursday in order to create a triple tie. Should the scenario happen, the Ironmen will be eliminated since they have the lowest quotient among the tied teams. Ascof ended the single elimination round with a 4-3 record while Cobra and Cossack currently share third to fourth spots with similar 4-2 marks. Canlas finished with 22 points while Gamalinda added 15 more and also combined for 19 of Ascof’s first quarter points where the Cough Busters opened up with a 29-8 lead. "We had a rough start (this season) but at least we accomplished what we wanted by finishing strong. This is our first three-game winning streak and if we get the chance to be in the playoff, so be it. If not, then we have to learn from our mistakes and start strong next conference," said Ascof coach Carlo Tan, who steered the team then known as the Pharex Bidang Generix to a runner-up finish against Oracle Residences last season. It was a sorry ending for the Cultivators’ PBL debut as they failed to win a single game. Christian Luanzon’s absence also hurt Ani-FCA’s offensive game as the team’s top gunner missed the Cultivators’ final outing due to back spasms. Mark Cagoco, Jopher Custodio, James Sena and player-manager Ramon Ong carried the Cultivators’ offensive load ending up with 10 points each. Despite falling early in the game, the Cultivators managed to trim the double-digit deficit with an Ong jumper moved Ani-FCA within four, 46-42, early in the third period. But five points each by Gamalinda and Canlas, in a 14-2 exchange, pushed the lead back to 16 at 60-44 with less than a minute left in the third quarter. A triple by Jonathan Uyloan, who along with Rob Labagala had six assists each, gave Ascof a 75-55 spread midway in the fourth to secure Ascof’s victory. – GMANews.TV