Barako repeats over SLR

MANILA, Philippines - Sam Monroe held his own in a shootout with Anthony Johnson and drew solid backup from the locals as Barako Energy Coffee repeated over Sta. Lucia, 103-100, to stay in the thick of the fight for the PBA Fiesta Conference playoffs at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium last night.

Monroe scored 13 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter, and the Energy Coffee Masters wiped out a six-point deficit in the homestretch to snap a seven-game losing skein and close in on the Realtors (4-11) and the Air21 Express (3-12) with their third win against 13 losses.

“We achieved tonight our short-term goal which is to fight as long as we have a fighting chance,” said Barako coach Junel Baculi.

“I’d been telling the boys that we needed to be able to close out a game. Obviously, we’re able to do that tonight,” Baculi added.

Barako outmaneuvered and outplayed Sta. Lucia in the crunch as the Energy Coffee Masters sent the Realtors reeling to their sixth straight loss and their 11th in 15 games overall.

Monroe played a key role in keeping the Energy Coffee Masters intact throughout the crucial contest.

The Barako import went 2-of-6 from the three-point area, 11-of-24 from the two-point zone and 13-of-16 from the stripe while also coming through with 14 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in an explosive match-up with his Sta. Lucia counterpart.

Johnson had actually a bigger output with 45 points but the Sta. Lucia import fizzled out at the finish.

He knocked in five three-pointers in the third quarter, fueling a run that had the Realtors erasing a 44-52 halftime deficit to get a 77-74 lead going into the payoff period.

The prolific SLR import wound up with a 9-of-14 clip from the three-point area, 6-of-13 shooting from the two-point zone and 6-of-6 from the lane.

Johnson struck with a three-point play versus Mark Isip, then banged away a triple as the Realtors took a six-point spread, 99-93, with 3:23 left to play.

The Coffee Masters, however, toughened up on defense the rest of the way while going to Monroe, Isip and Aris Dimaunahan for the key baskets as they beat out the Realtors in a down-to-the-wire finish.

Isip played his best game in a Barako uniform, logging 22 points and seven rebounds.

Rob Reyes made his presence felt on the defensive end, pulling off key stops down the stretch.

The Fil-Am forward foiled a drive by Johnson, paving the way for Aris Dimaunahan’s two free throws that pushed Barako ahead at 102-100.

The Realtors eventually lost the game as Gabby Espinas was called for an offensive foul on Paolo Hubalde in the ensuing play.