The Tigers concentrated on making stops, particularly in the first 24 minutes of play where they held their rivals to only 26 points in the first half.
A Will Antonio basket inside the 10-minute mark of the third period gave the Tigers their largest lead at 24, 50-26.
But just when everybody thought the Tigers were headed to an easy triumph, the Energy Boosters slowly crept their way back into the game behind undrafted rookie Hans Thiele.
The do-it-all forward from University of the East was everywhere, grabbing rebounds, providing hustle and doing the little things that mattered most for the Energy Bosters.
Thiele finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, seven of those caroms came at the offensive end. He was one of the key figures in the Energy Boosters’ comeback in the second half as his bucket in the 8:02 mark of the third period touched off a 10-0 run by Barako Bull, which trimmed the lead to 14, 36-50.
Barako continued its resiliency in the fourth and came to within eight, 64-72, on a Mark Isip short stab in the final quarter.
Reed Juntilla, who led Barako’s production with 19 points, came through with a jumper as the Energy Boosters threatened for the last time, 72-80, with 2:30 left.
The Energy Boosters ran out of time, enabling Powerade to pick up its second win in three matches.
“I was a bit worried when we came out of the locker room during the break. I was worried of my players’ tendency to become overconfident every time we establish a big lead," said Powerade coach Bo Perasol. “True enough, we became complacent and allowed Barako to come back. But overall, I think we played good, particularly on the defensive end."
The Tigers missed the services of rookie Sean Anthony, who sat out the game after undergoing operation to repair a broken nose bridge. He will miss his team’s game for five weeks.
“He suffered a broken nose bridge during our tuneup game against San Miguel Beer in the off season. Without Sean knowing it, our doctor performed an operation on his nose as he was asleep when the operation was done. He was mad when he learned he will miss the team's games for five weeks because of the operation. We will miss his rebounding presence, but this will also allow others to step up."
The Scores:
Powerade - David 23, Espino 17, Antonio 14, Ritual 8, J. Reyes 6, R. Reyes 5, Calimag 4, Lañete 4, Rizada 2, Macapagal 2, Laure 2, Gonzales 0, Mendoza 0.
Barako - Juntilla 19, Thiele 13, Isip 12, Salvacion 11, Yee 8, Wainwright 7, Misolas 4, Cruz 2, Alonzo 1, Duncil 0, Andaya 0, Hubalde 0, Dimaunahan 0.
Quarters: 21-15, 46-26, 69-55, 87-77
Source: Rey Joble | GMANews.TV
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