MAGNOLIA caught the last trip to the PBA Commissioner's Cup Last Eight on a second-half breakaway enroute to a 112-81 blasting of NLEX in their do-or-die setto Sunday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
The Hotshots bamboozled the Road Warriors in their return from a 44-all deadlock at the break, and took the backdoor to the quarterfinals, gaining the right to challenge twice-to-beat top seed NorthPort.
Playoff hostilities in the mid-season tourney fire off Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with the middle-of-the-pack teams beginning their best-of-three series. It's Rain or Shine versus Converge at 5 p.m. then Barangay Ginebra against Meralco at 7:30 p.m.
The Hotshots play a fifth straight do-or-die game in tackling the Batang Pier at 5 p.m. Thursday over at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. In the other game Thursday, second seed TNT takes its first of two cracks at the semifinals versus seventh seed Eastern.
Four successive wins in a sudden turnaround from a 3-6 mark in the tourney did the trick for Ricardo Ratliffe and his teammates.
Sponsored content:
"I told the players all the struggles, mistakes, injuries, frustrations of the past, it all boiled down to this game," said coach Chito Victolero of their final hurrah versus the Road Warriors.
"The players embraced the challenge. Iyung kanilang grit, determination and perseverance lumabas lahat sa larong ito."
Ratliffe best typified the kind of fight the Hotshots put up in the game, coming through with 32 points and 14 rebounds.
Zav Lucero, Ian Sangalang, Rome dela Rosa and Mark Barroca provided the back-up job as the Hotshots stretched the franchise streak of 19 consecutive playoffs appearances.
Lucero, Sangalang, dela Rosa and Barroca scored at least 11 points in support of their import whose hulking performance included a defensive gem limiting Mike Watkins to 10 in the death match.
Sponsored content:
Robert Bolick took the scoring cudgels with 27 for NLEX, which rallied from a similar 3-6 hole but fell short. (SB)
The Scores :
MAGNOLIA 112 - Ratliffe 32, Lucero 14, Dela Rosa 13, Sangalang 13, Barroca 11, Abueva 8, Dionisio 8, Lastimosa 5, Lee 4, Balanza 4, Alfaro 0, Laput 0, Eriobu 0.
NLEX 81 - Bolick 27, Mocon 13, Alas 12, Watkins 10, Torres 10, Semerad 5, Nieto 2, Policarpio 2, Ramirez 0, Rodger 0, Herndon 0.
QUARTERS: 21-21, 44-44, 80-67, 112-81
