Air21 books last flight to quarters

MANILA, Philippines - Air21 drew the needed boost from its rookies in the absence of three veterans as it upended Barako Bull, 82-77, to secure the last slot in the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao and Air21 fresh recruit Lou Gatumbato all dished out remarkable showing as the Express got back at the Energy Boosters to complete the quarterfinals cast.

Air21 slammed the quarters door shut on Powerade and Barako Bull as the Express finally got the magic number of five wins.

At 5-7, Air21 can still make the Top Six should it sweep its last two games versus Rain or Shine and Talk n Text.

“Any team will try to avoid San Miguel Beer. We’ll try to find a way to do that,” said coach Yeng Guiao, wary of a quarterfinals showdown with the top seed.

Al-Hussaini came through with a second straight 30-point performance, Baclao contributed double-double numbers and Gatumbato also joined the fray in his pro debut.

“It was a hard win and our rookies helped us get that. They stepped up with JR Quinahan down with flu, Ronnie Matias out with an ACLinjury and Marcy Arellano nursing a stress fracture,” said Guiao.

“Rabeh played his best game so far, showing a glimpse of his real potential if his mind and focus is on the game. We got Lou to cover for Marcy and he really carried us in crucial moments,” Guiao added.

Al-Hussaini went 13-of-27 from the field and 4-of-7 from the stripe in a follow-up to his 31-point showing in a losing cause versus San Miguel nine days ago. He’s the first rookie to put in back-to-back 30-point games since Eric Menk in 1999.

Gatumbato made his presence felt as he got away with key plays while quarterbacking for the team in the final period.

Alaska Milk squandered early 31-point spreads and needed a buzzer-beating three-pointer from LA Tenorio in eking out a 92-89 win over San Miguel Beer in the nightcap.

“We showed two teams which we can be in this game – the best and the worst. We’re a dominant team in the first half and we became the team that we don’t want to be in the second half,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone.

Avoiding a heartbreaker, the Aces stayed in the hunt for a spot in the Top Six with a 6-7 card.