Blu All Purpose not fading, completes finals cast

CEBU CITY — Blu All Purpose refused to crack up under tremendous pressure as it trounced Cebuana Lhuillier, 71-66, to complete the finals cast in the PBL-CBF Dual Meet II at the University of San Carlos Gym here.

The Detergent Kings weathered a determined charge by the Gems in the stretch to arrange title showdown with the Jewellers.

"We were playing well in the first three quarters and suddenly we played bad in the fourth," said Blu coach Leo Isaac. "Fortunately for us, we got lucky in the crucial stretch of the game."

Erick Dela Cuesta erupted for 18 points, the bulk of which coming in a pivotal second quarter that saw the Detergent Kings seizing a 38-30 lead from a 17-21 first period deficit.

Aries Dimaunahan, Marlon Legaspi, Lou Gatumbato, Arnold Gamboa and Arnold Calo then teamed up to make it a 61-44 advantage early in the last canto.

But Cebuana unleashed a big rally that trimmed Blu’s lead down to five, 64-69, with less than two and a half minutes to go in the match.

But two offensive fouls took the wind out of the Gems as the Detergent Kings held on to avenge their elimination round loss to the Jean Henry Lhuillier-owned squad.

Blu, the defending champion, thus play Montana, a finals first timer, at 7:30 p.m. today while Cebuana Lhuillier tackles Regent-Shark at 5:30 p.m. for third place.

And Isaac almost did not make it in today’s finals.

He nearly went home upon learning that his six-year-old daughter, Cocoi, was suffering from dengue fever and was rushed to the Makati Medical Center.

Blu team manager Sam Ancheta, whose wife is attending Cocoi, assured Isaac that her second child is already in stable condition.