AFTER an unmolested slam dunk by Meralco import Shonn Miller that pulled his team to within 83-88 with 2:50 left, Phoenix coach Jamike Jarin pondered long and hard on how to douse their foes’ furious fightback last night.
Jarin turned around and called the number of veteran playmaker RJ Jazul to steady the ship–and he did more than that.
Showing better endgame poise, the Fuel Masters waylaid the Bolts 93-83 for their eight win and clinched a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Jazul, 37, backed down Meralco guard Aaron Black and got a little space–just what he needed–to take and make a backbreaking three-pointer with all the confidence in the world that gave Phoenix a 91-83 cushion, only 1:16 to go.
“We just wanted the ball in the hands of RJ. We are a very young team and before the game I was telling them RJ has been in this kind of situation a thousand times,” Jarin said. “So, we wanted him to make the right decisions because we were doing some careless things that turned out to be turnovers that Meralco was able to convert.
“So, I just wanted the ball to the most experienced player on our team. This is a big win for us, but we don’t play in the playoffs. We still need to play TNT so we’re looking at it. We’re going to prepare for TNT,” he added.
Thanks to Jason Perkins’ 22 points and eight rebounds, the Fuel Masters redeemed themselves from a jarring 96-117 loss to the San Miguel Beermen last Christmas Day and stoked their mark to 8-2 for solo second.
Reinforcement Johnathan Williams chipped in 19 markers, 15 boards, and five assists for Phoenix.
Tyler Tio and Jazul also had 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the Fuel Masters,
The biggest prize, however, was Phoenix formalizing its inclusion in the top four that will be rewarded with a win-once incentive in the Last Eight.
It will also be the first in nearly four years or since athe Philippine Cup bubble at Clark that the Fuel Masters will be armed with a coveted bonus in the playoffs.
Fresh from an 85-80 decision over Magnolia last Saturday in Iloilo, Meralco dropped to 7-3 and will need to hurdle lowly Terrafirma tomorrow to give itself a chance of inclusion in the top four.
The Bolts will also hope either defending champion Ginebra or SMB fall in their finals eliminations outings to bag a twice-to-beat edge.
It was Jazul who gave Phoenix its biggest lead with a floater (31-16) early on and took a 54-47 lead at the half.
The Fuel Masters padded it to 78-86 going into the fourth canto before Meralco battled back, only to fade when it mattered most.
Miller paced the Bolts with 19 points and nine caroms, while Chris Banchero had 15 markers.
Chris Newsome and Bong Quinto also combined for 23 points for Meralco.
