Game on Friday
(Marikina Sports Center)
7 p.m. -- Jumbo Plastic vs Mighty Sports
MANILA, Philippines – Inaugural staging champion Jumbo Plastic isn't about roll over and die.
The Linoleum Giants displayed their championship character in Game 2 of their PCBL Chairman's Cup best-of-three finals series as they outlasted Mighty Sports, 89-87, to set up a winner take all encounter Wednesday night at the Marikina Sports Center.
The rubber match will be held tonight with Jumbo Plastic favored to win as Mighty Sports will be handicapped missing two key players in Game 3.
Euro-Med defeated Sta. Lucia Realty, 79-71, in the other game.
Kiefer Ravena, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, left right after Game 2 to catch a flight going to London. Mighty Sports is also without Kevin Ferrer, who is playing for the Gilas Pilipinas cadet team in the SEABA Championship in Malaysia.
This means Mighty Sports will be without their star players in their knockout game.
James Martinez and Jeff Viernes, Jumbo Plastic's explosive duo erupted for 31 points apiece and carried the brunt of the Linoleum Giants' offense and kept their team's back-to-back title aspirations alive.
The two stepped up big down the stretch.
Ravena capped Mighty Sports' 7-0 run with a trey that put his team ahead, 79-78, and 14 seconds away from completing a Cinderella Finish, then Gab Banal split his charities to put the new powerhouse team up by two after a traveling violation from Jumbo Plastic import Barracuda Arafat.
But Viernes took matters into his own hands, raced down court and picked up a foul from Allan Mangahas with six seconds in regulation. He calmly sank both charities to force overtime.
In the extra period, Martinez. Viernes and Jason Ibay, who completed a three-point play that gave Jumbo Plastic an 89-85 lead in the last 54 seconds conspired as the Linoleum Giants held on to live for another day.
The bruising pace took its toll right after the game ended as a commotion erupted when Mighty Sports import Bright Akhuetie, named as the Best Import in the tournament, tried to charge into Jumbo Plastic locker room.
“We were already celebrating. Hindi namin alam kung bakit sumugod yung import nila. Sinipa yung pinto ng locker room, kaya ginawa namin pingilan naming makapasok,” said Jumbo Plastic coach Stevenson Tiu.
Mighty Sports coach Mike Fermin, on the other hand, claimed that Akhuetie informed him that a player from Jumbo Plastic touched his butt.
“He said he was touched on the private parts. Sinundot si Akhuetie sa pwet. Sabi ni Bright it's against my religion to do that. That's out of boundary na sabi niya. I just warned him that they will do everything to get piss you off. Pero tama naman siya, never siyang nanakit sa tournament na ito. Pero ngayon, ang sabi ko nga sa kanya that's what you get for being the Best Import,” said Fermin.