Barroca tames Barako, makes presence felt

MANILA, Philippines - Former Smart Gilas mainstay Mark Barroca dished out his best game so far as a pro, saving B-Meg from imminent danger versus Barako Bull in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Barroca fueled their searing second-quarter breakaway and later hit the winning shot in B-Meg’s 91-90 cliffhanger over Barako Bull that further enhanced the Llamados’ bid for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

“Mark is such a gutsy player. He doesn’t fear anything; doesn’t fear the wrath of the coach; doesn’t fear me. He does what he thinks is right, and 89 percent, he’s right,” said B-Meg coach Tim Cone, paying Barroca tribute for lifting the team past Barako.

Through Barroca’s heroics, the Llamados notched a seventh straight victory that boosted their drive to finish in the Top Two at the close of the eliminations.

A win over the Shopinas.com Clickers Thursday will assure the Llamados of a playoff shot at the No. 2 spot. The top two teams in the elims enjoy a twice-to-beat edge over the seventh-ranked and eighth-seeded teams in the quarterfinals.

Barroca saved B-Meg’s broken play in the closing seconds, eluding three defenders for the winning basket with 4.9 seconds left.

The former national player bailed the Llamados out of trouble after Danny Seigle went on a fourth-quarter rampage, almost single-handedly wiping out Barako’s 16-point deficit at 62-78.

The Energy surged ahead at 90-89 on five straight baskets by Seigle followed by a clutch shot by Willie Miller.

With 13.7 ticks left, Cone called a timeout and mapped a play designed for PJ Simon to take the shot.

Talk n Text gave Powerade free passage to the quarterfinals as it dropped the axe on Alaska Milk, 100-97, later in the night.

The Texters built a lead enough to cushion the Aces’ fourth-quarter rally, enhancing their own bid for playoff top seeding with their ninth win against three losses.