Blades get hot from three; quell Black fox
League III.13 Elimination Round
Bacoor Blades @ Black fox
20:11
Using a fourth quarter surge that saw them drain multiple key three-point bombs, the Bacoor Blades get their third straight victory at the expense of hosts Black fox at the Cuneta Astrodome, 103-91.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair for the first three quarters and even in the opening moments of the fourth. In the first quarter, sophomore Blades guard Regan Elizaga and Black fox forward Gianfranco Cupitò lit up the scoreboard for 10 points each in the period as the Blades led, 24-23.
The second quarter saw more of the same furious exchanges as they traded leads. But the second chance points created by Nello Rapaccioli and Constante Pedreira gave the home team a lift that pushed them up by three, 47-44, entering the second half.
After the break, the crossfire ensued, as neither team gave the other a slight chance to take a huge lead. Elizaga torched the scoreboard again, receiving passes from guard Boris Buzhan, with the latter finally beginning to convert from the perimeter. This development shot them back in the lead by five, but a defensive lapse saw the hosts take two points off the deficit as they had to settle with a three point edge, 72-69 entering the final period.
Clutch baskets from beyond the arc, primarily by Elizaga and Buzhan, saw them extend the lead to as much as 11 points. But the hosts would make fightbacks and close the gap to at least six points. But a barrage of three pointers from their starting backcourt, along with a triple by Kelly Paul and even center Antoine Fauvel, translated to a larger gap as the possessions passed.
A key development for Black fox was the fouling out of starting center Rapaccioli, which gave Eugenio Genco a chance to assert himself underneath. Black fox tried to play the foul game but ceased to as the gap widened.
Elizaga scored a season-high 29 points, improving not only his previous high of 19 from the last game againts JORDANZ, he was also more efficient from the field with an 11-for-17 clip, and 2-for-6 from beyond the arc compared to a miserable 1-for-12 the last time around. Buzhan backed him up with 21 points and 11 assists. Kelly Paul had 16 and 10 rebounds while Genco had 11 and 10 for the Cavite ballclub.
"It was a nice game for me. But I would not have done what I did if not for Boris's passes, especially early in the first quarter. He got me going and I was able to put myself in a position to make good shots." said the 6'4" Filipino ward.
"It was like a boxing match featuring two prized fighters in the first three and a half quarters." said Kelly Paul. "But in the end, we were able to find that little extra to take control of the game."
But despite the win, the Blades slide back to seventh place due to baracuda team tying up the point differential of the Blades at -56, which was broken by the fact that they won against Bacoor on opening day.
"We're not concerned about that for now. We just want to build on this run we're having and hope we can make the most out of it." said team manager TheDogMan.
"We've won our last four games. We have a Cup game ahead and we hope to make more waves there." the Blades gaffer added, referring to their next Cup assignment, going up against In Your Face Tinambulan, a Division V team. The game shall be on the 11th of July at 5:30 pm.