"It was a belated (Christmas) gift but it turned out to be the biggest of them all," said Blustar coach Leo Isaac. "I told the boys that we have two chances to advance to the next round, but I told them that we have to take it now para mabawasan ang pressure sa amin."
And they did it with flourish.
Protecting a precarious 66-63 lead, the Detergent Kings went to Mesina, who knocked in the last of his three triples in the day that keyed a decisive 9-0 run on the way to their second straight win and seventh overall in 11 outings. With the win they joined defending champion Welcoat Paints (8-2) and Sunkist-UST (7-4) in the next round.
The Water Force dropped to 3-7, their bid to advance to the next round now in peril. For Viva to gain a crack at the last semis berth, it must win its last two games and hope that Fash Liquid and Montana drop two of their last three games.
The slippery Gatumbato also starred in that telling run as he buried a triple after Allan Gamboa canned in two charities following a bungled play by the Water Force.
Mesina topscored again for Blustar with 19 points but it was Gatumbato’s razzle-dazzle performance that turned things around for the Detergent Kings, who got off to a slow, tentative start.
Gatumbato, who also engineered the team’s upset win over Fash Liquid last Dec. 22, did almost everything on the court as he contributed 12 points, seven assists and two rebounds to emerge as the game’s best player for the second straight time.
For a while, the Detergent Kings appeared headed for a breezy win when the 6-foot-6 Nino Canaleta, playing his finest game so far, gave Blustar a 64-54 with a short jumper. His shot triggered a long, thunderous applause.
The Water Force, however, won’t be denied.
refused to give up easily as they countered with a swirling 9-2 to run to move within 63-66. But it proved to be their last stand as Mesina, Gatumbato and Gamboa conspired in a whirlwind windup to repeat over the Water Force.
Viva’s hotshot Arwind Santos played sparingly due to a prior bout with flu since New Year and this contributed immensely to Blustar’s cause. Santos, one of the league‚s top crowd-drawers with his high-leaping ability, played for only eight minutes and failed to score.