The Crunchman cometh

It’s getting to be a habit for Alex Cabagnot to bail out Petron in clutch situations and that can’t be bad for the Blaze Boosters. Last Monday, the former University of Hawaii at Hilo guard did it again, hitting a dagger triple to overturn a two-point deficit into a one-point lead that extended to two on a Chris Lutz free throw until the final buzzer.

Cabagnot’s heroics lifted Petron to a 95-93 win over Talk ‘N’ Text to open a 2-1 lead for the Boosters in the best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series. Texters coach Chot Reyes blamed himself for the loss. “We knew who would take the shot for Petron and we let him take it,” sighed Reyes.

Reyes, of course, can’t be blamed for it. The ball went from Cabagnot to Arwind Santos to Danny Ildefonso before going back to the Crunchman. That sequence threw off the Texters’ defense and characterized how Petron managed to recover from a 20-point deficit in the second period. Trust and chemistry brought Petron back to the driver’s seat for good.

When Cabagnot got back the ball from Ildefonso, he didn’t hesitate to throw up the shot. He’s done it so many times before without flinching. It was Cabagnot’s only field goal in the last period. He was blanked in the first half and woke up with nine points in the third quarter. So when Cabagnot was named the Best Player of the Game, he pointed to Santos, Ildefonso, Denok Miranda, Joseph Yeo and Lutz as more deserving of the honor.

Cabagnot didn’t only score 12 points. He also delivered eight assists and five rebounds in 35 minutes. Curiously, Cabagnot sat out nine of 12 minutes in the last period as Yeo and Miranda took charge of the Petron backcourt. Yeo and Miranda combined for 18 points in the payoff quarter. With about three minutes to go, coach Ato Agustin sent Cabagnot back into the fray for Yeo. It was the perfect sub for the situation. 

Ildefonso’s assist to Cabagnot was Petron’s 26th of the game. In the third period, Petron began to show up the Texters with more efficient distribution of the ball to bring up its field goal percentage to .556. Petron had eight assists in the quarter to the Texters’ one. The Boosters also took control of the tempo, taking away Talk ‘N’ Text’s transition attack.

* * *

Petron’s defense didn’t only cramp the Texters’ running game but also forced them to play one-on-one. With limited ball movement, it was easier for Petron to make stops. Jimmy Alapag, for instance, hit eight points in the fourth period but had no assist. On the other end of the floor, the Boosters kept their faith in each other, selflessly giving up the ball to locate the open man.

Cabagnot’s trey spoiled what appeared to be a win-in-the-offing for Talk ‘N’ Text. Reyes got the Texters off to a quick start with Alapag and Jayson Castro in the backcourt engineering an up-tempo pace. Then, Ranidel de Ocampo, starting for the first time in the series, got hot, firing nine points in the opening period. But slowly, Petron chipped away at the Texters’ lead until late in the fourth quarter, the Boosters finally put it on ice with Cabagnot’s triple.

In Game 3, Talk ‘N’ Text had more second chance points, 17-10, and turnover points, 25-16, but Petron played tougher defense, holding the Texters to a .350 field goal clip. The Boosters missed 10 free throws and the Tropa, five, but had a higher field goal percentage at .464. 

Petron’s FEU connection hit its stride with Santos and Miranda combining for 45 points. Ildefonso had another outstanding performance with 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes. 

In Game 4 tonight, Talk ‘N’ Text is in a virtual must-win situation. Another loss will erect a 3-1 series lead for Petron and that hole may be too deep for the Texters to climb out of. In 30 of the 45 best-of-seven series that were tied at 1-1, the team that won Game 3 went on to clinch so now, Petron has a 67 percent chance to advance to the Finals. By the way, in 20 of the previous best-of-seven series that were tied at 1-all, a Game 7 was necessary to decide the winner.

* * *

Cabagnot, 29, was Sta. Lucia Realty’s second overall pick in the 2005 draft after Jay Washington. The third pick was Miranda. That means the top three choices that year are now with Petron. In that draft, Fonacier was chosen 14th overall by Red Bull.

Cabagnot played for Sta. Lucia and Coca-Cola before moving to San Miguel Beer, now Petron, in 2009-10. Last season, he averaged a career-low 9.7 points, the first time in his career that he scored less than double figures a game. But this conference, Cabagnot has bounced back with a vengeance, averaging a career-high 15.4 points with a single-game career-high of 28.

For Talk ‘N’ Text to even the series, the Texters’ must control the pace from start to finish and run Petron to the ground. They’ve got to dominate the boards and turn Game 4 into a shootout. Reyes might want to use a zone to eliminate Yeo and Miranda posting up Alapag and Castro. For Petron to make it three wins in a row, the Boosters must slow it down, force Talk ‘N’ Text to play one-on-one in the halfcourt, execute efficiently with ball movement and attack the mismatches.  With the first three contests going down to the wire, there is a possibility that Game 4 will be a blowout by either team.