Mixers cool down injury-plagued Bolts, near finals

MANILA, Philippines -- Marqus Blakely asserted himself and guards Alex Mallari and Mark Barroca did their part with an injury-hit Mario West taking the exit with over 17 minutes left to play as San Mig Coffee zapped Meralco, 94-87, to inch closer to a second straight PBA Governors Cup finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday night.

Blakely collected awesome all-around numbers of 22 rebounds, 21 points, five assists, four blocks and three steals, Mallari put in a career-high 23 points and Barroca added 18 as the Mixers took the pivotal 2-1 lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.

The Mixers, losing finalists in this tourney last season, go for a 24th finals overall in Game Four tomorrow or Game Five Tuesday, if necessary.

West feared he might not be able to come back but Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio vowed they would fight through it and do what it takes to salvage the series.

“I thought for a while we had a chance to win with an all-Filipino crew, but it’s just very hard,” rued Gregorio.

And again Gregorio raised an issue on the large number of trips to the line the Mixers are getting in the series.

“It’s really hard to win without an import. It’s harder to win for some reason you allow your opponents 41 trips to the line. We went there just 22 times. They got almost double, and that’s the difference-maker,” he said.

Blakely found the mark in this game, knocking in 12 charities though it’s his defensive gems – defensive rebounds, blocks and steals – in the crunch that proved the big difference.

His hustle plays created key transition baskets in a decisive 20-8 run the Mixers unleashed in the fourth quarter on the way to the crucial victory.

Mallari banged away a trey, Barroca scored on a pull-up inside the key hole then James Yap converted a one-handed jumper as the Mixers got an 86-79 lead entering the final minute of the game.

The Bolts set the pace early on and were in a neck-and-neck fight in the third when they suffered a big blow with West sustaining a shoulder sprain on a hard bump by defender Joe Devance.

West was running a transition play when Devance came from nowhere and bumped him to stop him from going all the way to the basket.

The Meralco import writhed in pain, holding to his right shoulder. He was brought to the dugout right away attended by the team and league doctors.

“He whispered to me it happened to him before,” said Gregorio, already bracing his team for the scenario of playing all-Filipino tomorrow.

Barroca went 2-of-2 from the three-point land while Blakely nailed 6-of-6 free throws as the Mixers rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second quarter and seized a 44-42 lead at the turn.

As in Game Two, the Bolts started strong, clogging the defensive lanes to limit the Mixers to 17 points in the first quarter.

West scored on a runner then Mac Cardona buried a triple as the Bolts established a 10-point lead at 27-17 at the onset of the second period.

Barroca changed the complexion of the game as he rattled in two three-pointers upon his entry to the floor, subbing for Mallari.

The bigger game-changer came on West’s exit a little later.