As two teams came into the critical conference game, jockeying to clinch a spot in the finals, Tiger Black came out on top, defeating Brew Kettle, 103-97.
The Tigers came out growling at the start, building a 28-25 lead in the first quarter with strong play from both ends of the court. However, the Brew Kettles managed to erase the deficit before halftime and even take the lead by four points, 53-49.
Tiger Black bounced right back after the break, posting its most dominant period in the game to outscore the Kettles, 22-19, but were still trailing by 3 points going into the final frame. That cushion the Kettles built was enough to withstand the Tigers attack in the fourth quarter, and they were able to close out a run in the final minute, after Ben Buñol narrowed down the lead to just 3 points. However, Mark Dela Cruz retaliated and sealed the win for the Tigers by hitting a crucial shot from behind the arc in the final seconds of the game.
Mark Dela Cruz led the way for the Tiger Black with 40 points. Malvin Pineda added 21 points and earned player of the game honors, whileHarry Siendo supplied 14 points.
Ben Buñol paced the Brew Kettles with 35 points, Carlo Chu shot 15 points, and Cesar Tan delivered 13.
In the other game, Summit defeated Beer na Beer, 90-84.
The Beers got out to a strong start and led after the first quarter, 31-25. The Summit picked up the pace in the second, but could not make much progress as they were still outscored by the Beers, 19-16, and were trailing by 10 points at the break.
The Summit players came out strong in the third and managed to turn it to a 5-point game as they headed into the final quarter. The Beers kept up the fight in the fourth, but it was not enough, as the Summit closed them out for the win, earning a spot in the finals.
With six triples, Es Santos led the Summit team with 32 points. Randy Colonia followed with 20 points and the player of the game honors, while Archie Moreno and JR Gapusan logged 13 points apiece.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Coo led Beer na Beer with 26 points, followed by Mar Dormido’s 18 points, while Rine Miag-ao added 9 points.*
