BK clinches slot; Pharex up

Burger King held off Toyota Otis, 74-69, to advance while Pharex dominated Bacchus, 96-77, to stay in the fight for the last quarterfinal berth in the PBL PG Flex Linoleum Cup at the Emilio Aguinaldo College gym in Manila yesterday.

Mac Baracael sizzled with a career-best 25 points and nine rebounds as the Stunners turned back the Sparks to clinch the fifth quarterfinal slot in the season-opening tournament.

“I told them to be ready for a close game and they came prepared against Toyota,” said Burger King head coach Allan Gregorio.

The Stunners, who also drew big games from NCAA star Ogie Menor and Abby Santos, finished the elims with a 5-7 card.

Menor tallied 13 points and six rebounds while the 6-foot-5 Santos chipped in 10 points and six boards to force the Sparks into a do-or-die match against Pharex tomorrow.

The Sparks slipped to 4-7 in a tie with Pharex, which leaned on former FEU star JR Gerilla in beating early quarterfinalist Bacchus Energy Drink in the other game.

Joey Deas, a member of the RP team that won the ASEAN-China CBO Invitational tournament in China last month, struggled for only two points in 13 minutes in his debut with Burger King.

In what could be his best game since joining Pharex last year, the 6-foot-5 Gerilla finished with a brilliant 12-of-13 shooting from the field. The former FEU standout tallied 10 points apiece in the second and third quarters as the Generix posted leads of as many as 22 points, 71-49, entering the last period.

He also pulled down five rebounds to cap his game-long brilliance in a game the Generix could not afford to lose.

The Generix thus improved to 4-7, needing to hurdle Toyota Otis tomorrow to clinch a quarterfinal berth.

It was the third straight win for Pharex, which dropped its first six games.

“We’re already pressured since the start of the second round. If we lost against Harbour Centre, we would have been crushed,” said Pharex coach Carlo Tan. “But that game gave us the momentum and we have been playing much better ever since.”

Ian Saladaga, the hero in the team’s previous two wins, was held to just two points but top pick Chris Ross and Ronnie Matias dished out big games to help carry the fight for the Generix.

Ross finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in 32 minutes, while Matias came through with 16 points.

Kojack Melegrito chipped in 13 points in just five minutes, all coming in the fourth quarter.

Bacchus finished the elimination round with an even 6-6 record but has already clinched No. 3 spot and a twice-to-beat advantage in the next round. Paul Lee led the Energy Warriors with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting while adding five rebounds and three assists but made seven turnovers. James Martinez added 11 points on three triples.