Vergel blows FedEx bid as Shell lives on

Vergel Meneses went 0-of-7 from the field in the second half after scoring 10 points in the first two quarters and FedEx went down with him, allowing Shell to stay in strong contention for the Selecta PBA All-Filipino quarterfinals with a 76-75 decision last night at the Philsports Arena.

Meneses himself hastened FedEx’s seventh loss against a lone win as the flamboyant forward muffed a three-point attempt then made a passing error all inside the last 20 seconds of play.

As Meneses was forced to a crucial error in the closing seconds, the Turbochargers escaped with their third win in seven outings. They gain outright entry into the quarterfinals if they can sweep their last two games in the eliminations versus the San Miguel Beermen and the Purefoods Hotdogs.

"We’re happy we’re still alive. It’s still a long way to go considering we have to beat San Miguel and Purefoods, but we’re happy we’re still in contention for the quarters," said Shell coach Perry Ronquillo.

"Nobody has given our team a chance of getting to where we are right now. But if not for some close calls, we could have been in a better position. It’s a tribute to my players who’ve been rising to the challenge," Ronquillo added.

Against the Express, Ronquillo thought his freshmen rose to the occasion, making special mention of Edwin Bacani, who erupted for 19 points that went with three rebounds and one assist.

Mike Hrabak scored a game-high 24 points, including what proved to be the deciding basket on a short jumper with 1:20 left to play.

But Hrabak gave FedEx an opportunity to steal the game when he committed a dribbling violation with time down to 27.8 seconds.

Meneses took matters into his hands by going for a triple which missed in the ensuing play. The one-time MVP himself grabbed the looseball and took one final attempt at winning the game by going for a drive. Alas, he found himself trapped by a double-teaming defense and had to make a kickout pass which landed on the hands of Hrabak at the buzzer.

It was a sweet win for the Turbochargers who struggled in the first half, trailing by 11, 35-46, at halftime.

Shell got back in the thick of things on a strong start in the third quarter, tying the count at 56-all on a searing run anchored by Bacani. The former FEU stalwart made 14 in the third quarter.

FedEx regained the upperhand, 62-59, at the close of the third but Shell surged ahead anew at 69-64 on a 10-2 binge opening the fourth.

Sta. Lucia stayed in equal footing with Shell as the Realtors nipped the Purefoods Hotdogs, 68-64, in the second game. – Nelson Beltran