Blades sharp in clutches vs Dazz

LBC Batangas Blades neutralized Dazz Dishwashing Liquid in the final quarter to score a 56-53 win and claim an outright berth in the upper bracket yesterday in the 2002 PBL Challenge Cup at the Makati Coliseum.

Jason Cuevas topped with 13 points and eight rebounds while Alex Compton added 10 points and five rebounds as the Blades joined idle Welcoat Paints and Blu in the upper bracket of the second round elimination phase with a 5-3 card.

But it was second stringers Ronald Allan Capati and Nicole Uy who powered the fourth quarter salvo that sent the Grease Busters to their fourth setback in seven games.

The Blades controlled the momentum in the first two quarters where they enjoyed a 33-24 halftime margin and led 48-38 with 19 seconds gone in the fourth.

From there, the Blades stepped up on defense as Capati and Uy connived for a 12-0 blast that wrested the upperhand at 50-48, 4:21 left in the game.

Peter June Simon pulled a jumper that leveled the count at 50, but Compton and Al Magpayo took charge from there and pulled LBC-Batangas to a 56-53 edge, with 11.8 seconds to go.

The Blades later gave up four fouls in the ensuing play that left the Greasebusters only 4.3 seconds to deliver a desperate game-tying triple.

"We actually had three chances to go up to the upper bracket, and we already blew up the first two against Welcoat and John-O. I told the boys this is our last chance and we should not let it go," said LBC-Batangas coach Nash Racela.

"So in the second half, we shifted from man-to-man to zone and sustained our momentum in the final quarter," he added.

Despite the loss, Dazz still has a chance of joining the upper bracket, if it wins over Sunkist-Pampanga tomorrow in Balanga, Bataan.

Dazz will end up in a four-way tie with ICTSI, John-O and Montana on similar 4-4 cards. Under such case, the Greasebuster will claim the fourth slot of the upper bracket by virtue of its highest quotient (1.032), while the other three – ICTSI (1.008), John-O (1.000) and Montana (0.963) – will be relegated to the lower bracket.