Hapee turns back Montana

Hapee Toothpaste unleashed a torrid scoring run in the second half to blast Montana Pawnshop, 57-47, yesterday in the elimination round of the PBL Chairman’s Cup at the Makati Coliseum.

Cyrus Baguio scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds as the Teeth Sparklers overcame a sputtering start with a big run in the second half en route to the victory.

It was Hapee’s fourth straight win over the same team since last conference and it put the team’s bid on track after dropping a 64-80 loss to Ana Freezers Tuesday.

"We just denied them their inside points, that’s why we forced Francis Zamora and Gilbert Lao out of the paint and let them take outside shots," said Hapee coach Stevenson Tiu.

Baguio and JB Sison combined in a 15-4 Hapee blast at the onset of the third quarter as the Teeth Sparklers stretched a close 26-23 lead into a 41-27 bulge, 2:45 left in the third period before coasting to the win.

After a hot start, where they outscored the Teeth Sparklers, 17-11, the Jewelers struggled with poor offensive plays, either failing to bring the ball down low or connect from medium range.

Hapee’s tight defense on key Montana gunners likewise prevented any Jeweller from churning out double-digit scores with Zamora and John Lim scoring only eight points apiece. – Joey Villar