The Magnolia Hotshots escaped the clutches of reigning Commissioner’s Cup kings San Miguel Beermen, 101-97, to finalize the mid-season joust’s quarterfinal picture, Saturday at SMART Araneta Coliseum.
With the result, the seventh-seeded Hotshots will face the twice-to-beat Alaska Aces. Meanwhile, the sixth-seeded SMB will battle rivals TNT Katropa in a best-of-three series.
The other playoff brackets will see the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (5) taking on rivals Meralco Bolts (4); and the top-ranked Rain or Shine Elasto Painters battling the GlobalPort Batang Pier.
The Hotshots actually had a chance to elevate themselves to the sixth spot, but they failed to win by 14 or more over their sister team. Still, head coach Chito Victolero said that it doesn’t matter.
“If they gave us a chance to grab that 14-point lead, we’ll grab it. But ‘di namin nakuha sa dulo. But very happy pa rin doon ’cause it affords us momentum going to the playoffs,” the youthful head coach shared.
Wayne Chism led Magnolia with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Ian Sangalang had a double-double as well with 14 points and 13 boards, while Paul Lee also chipped in 14 markers.
San Miguel’s loss wasted the performance of import Renaldo Balkman, who produced 31 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a whopping six blocks.
The Beermen actually had a chance to steal Magnolia’s thunder late in the game, when they closed within four, 97-101, after June Mar Fajardo’s point-blank shot with 13 seconds left.
However, the Hotshots prevented them from scoring another bucket, as they kept possession after that. They then let the clock run out to preserve the four-point victory.
Fajardo finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds with two dimes. Arwind Santos had 13 points and eight boards, while Marcio Lassiter supplied 12 points, four caroms, and four assists.
The Magnolia-Alaska clash is set on Tuesday, July 10, at 7:00 PM, while the Beermen’s meeting with the Katropa will be on Monday, July 9, at 4:30 PM. Both games are still at the Big Dome.
The Scores
Magnolia 101 – Chism 21, Lee 14, Sangalang 14, Barroca 11, Herndon 10, Jalalon 9, Melton 8, Brondial 5, Dela Rosa 4, Simon 3, Gamalinda 2, Reavis 0, Ramos 0
San Miguel 97 – Balkman 31, Fajardo 18, Santos 13, Lassiter 12, Ross 9, Cabagnot 9, Nabong 5, Rosser 0, Heruela 0
Quarterscores: 29-27, 45-44, 78-76, 101-97
