Despite losing a huge 20-point lead in the middle of the game, the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters hung on for a 105-93 win over the sluggish Star Hotshots team at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday night.
Eugene Phelps had himself a field day, collecting 45 points on 17/29 shooting, 17 rebounds, and two rejections.
Phoenix’s 32-point first quarter paced them to cruise control up to the third period wherein they found themselves up by 20 at 77-57. However, a near six-minute scoreless drought helped the opposing Hotshots to climb their way back on a furious 19-0 run bridging the last two periods.
“It’s a game of runs. We had a big lead, we lost it, but coach told us to stay focused for us to get the win,” Phelps said after the game.
True enough, a composed Fuel Masters team weathered the storm through multiple defensive stops in the payoff period. A well-balanced scoring effort, in addition to blanks from Star, once again separated the two teams down the stretch.
For Phelps, however, he pointed out that they still need to work more on the defensive side of things heading into the final stretch of the conference and, more importantly, the playoffs.
“We just got to pick up the defense. We have a week-long to practice to work on it,” said the Phoenix reinforcement.
As for coach Ariel Vanguardia, he admitted that nerves had gotten fo him during Star’s surge.
“We have high respect for Star. We were up 20, but I know any point in time that they will make a comeback,” he said.
Star used a quick five on the floor during the comeback attempt that erased the lead in a blink of an eye.
“It was a brilliant move by Coach Jason. We weren’t ready but good thing in the fourth that we made crucial stops and made stops,” the ABL champion coach added.
Phoenix used a 23-to-17 advantage in transition. Moreover, the team shot 18/22 from the free throw area, a decent conversion against Star’s 50 percent clip of 16-of-32.
Willie Wilson quietly added 13 points and 11 boards for the Fuel Masters. For the losing Star, who are now tied with Blackwater in the cellar of the standings, Joel Wright tallied 29 points but needed 23 shots against the Fuel Masters’ defense. Mark Barroca chipped in 12 off the bench in the defeat.
Phoenix (6th, 4-4) are starting to pile up the victories, and have now won four games in their last five outings. They look to keep it going against the Blackwater Elite (12th, 1-7) on September 7 in Antipolo. On the other hand, Star (11th, 1-7) are on a five-game slide and aim to at least snap the cold-streak in their disappointing Governor’s Cup campaign on Sunday versus the Meralco Bolts (5th, 5-4) at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
Phoenix (106) – Phelps 45, Wilson W. 13, Baguio 11, Buenafe 11, Lee 8, Cruz 6, Lanete 4, Enciso 3, Urbiztondo 3, Miranda 2, Borboran 0, Caperal 0, Torres 0, Wilson J. 0.
Star (93) – Wright 29, Barroca 12, Simon 11, Sangalang 8, Garcia 7, Yap 7, Maliksi 5, Brondial 4, Mallari 4, Melton 2, Pascual 2, Pingris 2, Reavis 0.
Quarterscores: 32-19, 56-47, 77-72, 106-93
