Pop slams Sta. Lucia, nears final

This time, there was no gut-wrenching pressure to endure.

Pop Cola worked behind a fine defensive game to shackle Sta. Lucia Realty, 86-76, last night and take a step closer to a first-ever final appearance in six years in the PBA Governors Cup at the Philsports Arena.

Unlike in Game One of their semis duel where Pop Cola had to lean on Rudy Hatfield’s endgame heroics to steal a thrilling 76-75 win, the Panthers this time cut the erratic Realtors down to size with a choking defense in the second quarter and went on to dominate their rivals to seize a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five series.

Sta. Lucia failed to sustain the momentum of its series tying 76-69 win Sunday as the Realtors struggled in the face of the Panthers’ choking defense and now face the spectre of blowing another sterling campaign in the elimination round.

Hatfield still had a fine game to speak of (18 points), but a slew of Panthers stepped up to anchor the team’s emphatic victory. Poch Juinio, a player noted more for his defense, scored 17 points, including an improbable double pump under the basket where he eluded the defense of Damien Owens to score on the other side.

Nelson Asaytono and Jojo Lastimosa likewise flashed vintage form and scored a combined nine-point output in the final quarter, helping the team defuse whatever rally the Realtors had hoped for after falling behind by as many as 15 points, 78-63, six minutes left in the contest.

Actually, there was nary a hint of such uprising.

For the Realtors failed to break through the Panthers’ solid defense, either they were forced to take low percentage shots or they simply threw the ball away with sloppy plays, enabling the Panthers to score 20 points off turnovers.

Worse, Owens, out of frustration, became gun-shy in the fourth period, opting to pass the ball rather than shoot it at a time when the Realtors needed somebody to spark a comeback.

In contrast, Rossell Ellis spearheaded the Panthers’ bid with his all-around game, anchoring the team’s rally from seven-point deficit in the first quarter with a 10-point explosion in the second as Pop Cola wrested a 42-41 lead at the turn.