Pharex got its second wind in time yesterday to score an 81-77 win over Bacchus and keep its outright semis bid alive in the PBL Lipovitan Amino Sports Cup at The Arena in San Juan City.
The Medics blew away a huge 18-point lead in the third quarter but came back to life at crunch time in salvaging their sixth win against the same number of losses.
Ronnie Bughao and Sean Co wreaked havoc at the finish and proved to be the executioners of Bacchus, which suffered its ninth loss in 13 outings.
Co, a former mainstay of Mapua in the NCAA, topscored for the Medics with 18 points while Bughao and Ronnie Matias added 12 points apiece.
In the first game, Noosa Shoes revived its sagging bid by pounding out an 83-76 victory over the Nokia-Philippine Youth team.
The Shoe Stars enhanced their quarterfinal bid with a 7-6 record.
But to ensure their entry into the next round, they have to win their two remaining games.
The Franz Pumaren-mentored RP Youth team trailed 59-74 at the end of the third quarter but it rallied mightily behind the hot hands of Fil-Canadian Norbert Torres, Gabriel Banal and Joel de Guzman.
In the third game, Burger King went to Khiel Misa to score a come-from-behind 67-61 win over the San Mig Coffee and boost its bid for an outright semis berth.
Almost forgotten after scoring only two points in the first half, the cat-quick Misa caught fire in the last five minutes by burying a triple and completing a three-point play that saw the BK Whoppers take a 65-59 lead with 21 ticks left.