The Batangas Blades held their ground in the face of a fierce uprising by the Surigao Warriors, pulling off a 91-84 win yesterday in the MBA-FedEx Crossover Cup in Butuan City.
Slotman Oliver Agapito and Eddie Laure rose to the occasion for the LBC-supported Blades, scoring the team's last nine points to foil the Warriors' comeback bid.
Laure tallied 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists while the 6-foot-6 Agapito scored on two put-backs, a 15-footer and a free throw shot in a 9-4 windup that secured Batangas' sixth win against five losses.
Surigao gave the Blades a good fight but cramps which sidelines top scorer Richie Melencio in the stretch hampered the Warriors' bid. They suffered their seventh loss in eight outings.
Batangas, which closed the first half holding a slim five-point edge, sustained the upperhand at the start of the fourth before Surigao launched a strong but short-lived comeback bid.
San Juan showed too much class and offensive firepower as it clobbered the Socsargen Marlins, 87-61, at the San Juan gym. The Knights stretched their winning run to five for a 6-1 record. Socsargen fell to 3-7.