PHOENIX veteran playmaker RR Garcia held on to his 34-year-old knees and asked for an isolation play in Blackwater’s dazzling fightback bid last night.

With Garcia taking charge when it mattered most, the Fuel Masters turned back the Bossing 119-114 for their first win and stayed in the hunt for a quarterfinals berth in Group B of the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Showing he still has what it takes at a venue where he used to run rings around his defenders—the Big Dome—in his UAAP heydays with Far Eastern University, the 5-foot-11 Garcia uncorked 12 straight points, the last two on two free throws that gave Phoenix a 110-103 cushion with 3:05 to go.

Garcia boosting the Fuel Masters in the endgame came in handy after Blackwater threatened at 93-98 on a Sedrick Barefield three-pointer at the 7:52 mark of the fourth.

Coach Jamike Jarin is crossing his fingers crossed that Phoenix’s breakthrough victory that made up for a 127-139 loss to San Miguel Beer three nights would be the spark that would power them.

“We’re 1-7 right now. We were frustrated in our first seven games and then finally we got a win tonight,” Jarin said. “I take full responsibility for all those losses. My apologies to everybody, especially to the Phoenix organization and the players.

“We finally got a win, and we got over the hump. So, hopefully—and we will work hard in our next game,” he added.

The Bossing failed to recover from a 98-112 loss to the Ginebra Kings last Tuesday and slipped to 3-5.

Import Brandone Francis fell an assist shy of a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and nine dimes for the Fuel Masters while Garcia backstopped their reinforcement with 20 markers.

Jason Perkins, Ricci Rivero, and rookie Kai Ballungay had 19, 14, and 12 points, respectively, for Phoenix, which also redeemed itself from a 111-123 setback at the hands of Blackwater when they first met last Sept. 3.

The Fuel Masters built a 64-47 edge at the break they extended to as much as 80-60 on a Ballungay and-one off a slam dunk with 5:39 remaining in the third.

It was all Phoenix 90-78 entering the final canto.

Import George King paced the Bossing with 32 points, 10 caroms, and six feeds while Barefield added 30 and four.

James Kuwekuteye, Troy Rosario, and Richard Escoto also contributed 20, 10, and 10 markers, respectively, for Blackwater.

But the question remains: Can Phoenix sustain its rise and does it have enough gas left in its tank?