Excelroof earns right to face Pharex in PBL finals

Excelroof squeezed out an 81-75 win against Cobra Energy Drink to grab the second finals berth in the 2010 PBL PG Flex Erase Placenta Cup in Tuesday’s sudden-death match held at The Arena in San Juan City.

The 25ers leaned on San Sebastian veterans Jimbo Aquino, Calvin Abueva, Ian Sangalang and John Raymundo against the Ironmen, who squandered their twice-to-beat edge in the semifinal round. "This is a knockout game so I reminded my players maintain their composure, limit our turnovers and tighten our defense. They have done everything what I told them," said coach Ato Agustin. Aquino scored 19 points behind an 8-of-14 field goal shooting while Abueva, who once again provided the spark, tallied 17 markers and 13 rebounds. Sangalang, 6-foot-6, finished with another double-double output of 11 points and 10 rebounds while Raymundo chipped in 11 markers and had eight assists. Abueva made 13 points in the fourth period and took charge when Cobra threatened to steal the game in the final 53 seconds of the match. Holding on to a slim 76-75 lead, Abueva scored from underneath to give Excelroof a 78-75 edge and getting a foul from Marvin Hayes in the process. The 6-foot-3 Abueva failed to convert the free throw but made up for the miss by blocking Jai Reyes’ potential game-tying three-pointer at the other end. He then grabbed the loose ball and drew a foul from Mark Fampulme that resulted to two free throws for an 80-75 cushion with 18 ticks to go in the game clock. It was a disappointing finish for the Ironmen as they were favored to face Pharex in the PBL finals after earning the No. 2 seed in the semis. Lee had 19 points while Reyes, who was scoreless in Cobra’s 89-81 loss last Saturday, added 16 points behind four three-pointers. But Patrick Cabahug was held down to just 13 points while Narciso Llagas, who averaged close to 20 markers, was limited to just seven the whole game. – GMANews.TV