Still in hunt for Hapee ending

Hapee Toothpaste leaned on Cyrus Baguio’s endgame heroics to repulse Ateneo-Pioneer Insurance, 72-69, last night and keep its semifinal hopes alive in the PBL Chairman’s Cup at the Makati Coliseum.

Baguio scored three of the Teeth Sparklers last five points to foil the bid of the Insurers and power the team to its sixth victory in 11 games.

Hapee needs only to beat Osaka on Tuesday to complete its sweep of the quarterfinal round and arrange a playoff with Pharmaquick for the right to challenge the No. 4 squad in the winners’ bracket.

Pharmaquick assured itself of the top spot in the losers’ group after beating Osaka, 70-57, last Tuesday.

Osaka scuttled a listless Montana Pawnshop side, 64-53, earlier.

It was the first win for the Iridologists after dropping nine straight games while the Jewellers absorbed their eighth defeat in 11 outings.

Rommel Daep paced Osaka with 17 points.

With the high-leaping Daep showcasing a superb shooting game, the Iridologists seized the momentum early then sustained the attack to win pulling away.

Osaka dominated the boards with 44 rebounds against Montana’s 26 and though it had more turnovers, 22-15, it made up by coming up with 15 assists against its rivals’ 10. — Joey Villar