PBA-DL: Big Chill stays alive, forces do-or-die versus Fruitas

The Big Chill Super Chargers defeated the Fruitas Shakers 77-72, Tuesday at the Blue Eagle Gym to extend their PBA Developmental League quarterfinals series and force a winner-take-all game for the right to advance to the semifinals against the reigning champs NLEX Road Warriors.

Fruitas was forced to burn their twice-to-beat advantage but can still make some noise with a win on Thursday.

Terrence Romeo, the root of a tug-of-war between the two teams, carried Big Chill with 29 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. He dropped 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to give Big Chill some separation against Fruitas.

"Terrence played great. He took over when our plays broke down but I have to give credit to the entire team for responding to my call," said Big Chill head coach Robert Sison.

Romeo was not allowed to play for Big Chill in their elimination meeting against Fruitas as a part of the agreement on his release. He was supposed to be part of the FEU-based Fruitas squad, his collegiate team in the UAAP.

"Pag playoffs it will be a different story. We're in coordination with FEU," Sison explained. "Maganda naman yung usapan namin diyan."

Aside from Romeo, two other Super Chargers stepped up when Big Chill's need was dire. "I have to give special mention to Mac Montilla and Jeckster Apinan," Sison said. "Pag nahihirapan si Romeo, si Montilla ang sumasalo. Si Apinan naman, he gave us energy throughout the game.

Montilla scored 22 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, while Apinan, a mid-conference acquisition from EA Regen, chipped in 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Fruitas Shakers opened the game with a 4-0 lead but quick baskets from Jeckster Apinan and Arvie Bringas knotted the game at 4-all with still 6:08 left in the first quarter.

Big Chill got the lead halfway through the first but a mid-range jumper from Carl Bryan Cruz knotted the game anew at 8-all with 3:40 remaining.

Pong Escobal nailed a three with 24 seconds left in the first to tie the ball game yet again at 11-all, but Terrence Romeo replied with his own trey to put Big Chill up 14-11 at the end of the first.

Escobal and Janus Lozada exchanged baskets to start the second quarter. Mac Montilla then made his presence felt with 6:22 left in the first half as he canned a triple for a 21-15 lead for Big Chill. He then added two more points to their lead as he completed a difficult bank shot on the break. Big Chill doubled their effort on the floor as they dove for loose balls and got offensive rebounds. Their active play led to a basket by Apinan for a 23-15 count in their favor.

The woes of Fruitas continued as Russell Escoto crumpled on the court at the 3:36 mark of the second period. However, instead of falling apart, the Shakers actually rallied after Escoto's injury. Esocobal and Cruz joined forces to cut the Big Chill lead down to three at 25-22.

Free throws from Escobal just before the halftime buzzer sounded trimmed the Big Chill lead further down to just a single point at 29-28.

The former San Beda guard led all scorers at the half with 10 points. He also added four rebounds and two assists to the Shakers' cause. Big Chill on the other hand were paced by Romeo, who had seven points, while Montilla and Apinan added six and five points, respectively.

The two teams shot horribly at the half. Big Chill only managed to convert 28.2 percent of their field goals, while Fruitas had an even more miserable clip, shooting just 23.1 percent.


The Shakers got a taste of the lead thanks to an undergoal stab from Jan Colina, but Apinan quickly took it back at the 6:42 mark of the third. Big Chill rebuilt a five-point lead as Romeo found a cutting Apinan for an easy lay-up at the 5:02 mark of the third for a 43-38 lead. On their next possession, Romeo lost his man with a beautiful spin move to stretch their lead to seven markers.

Fruitas was able to trim their deficit down to two at 45-43, but Montilla kept them at bay with a lay-up. The Shakers however were resolute in their quest to get back into the game, as Cruz scored two free throws to bring the Big Chill lead back down to a deuce, 47-45.

The third quarter ended with the Super Chargers up 49-46.

Romeo opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back triples to give Big Chill a 55-46 buffer. Montilla then joined Romeo's three-ball party with a trey from way downtown to build a 58-48 difference with only seven minutes left in the game.

Romeo continued to wax hot from the field as he added two more jumpers for a 66-55 lead, but the Shakers refused to quit. Escobal and Lastimosa kept Fruitas in the game but they could just not stop Romeo.

With their back against the wall, Fruitas turned to Mike Tolomia who scored five straight points to trim the difference down to seven at 72-65 with just 2:05 left in the game. Big Chill inexplicably refused to run the down the time, which resulted in a hurried shot. Jonathan Semira made them pay with a three-ball to cut the lead further down to just four points.

Big Chill again rushed their offense instead of letting the seconds melt away. Luckily, Mar Villahermosa was fouled on his careless drive to the basket. He made two free throws  to extend the Super Charger's lead to six points, 74-68. Big Chill then fell apart in the closing minutes of the game, but luckily for them, the Shakers were unable to hit their shots, which allowed the Super Chargers to escape with the victory.
 
"It was a total team effort but I have to give credit to Fruitas kasi ang hirap nilang talunin," Sison said after the game. "This game shows that we have the character. Nakita yung poise namin down the stretch. I told them that this is the time to show the league that we are a team."

Pong Escobal led Fruitas with 14 points while Bryan Cruz added 13. Carlo Lastimosa managed to put up 12 markers but it took him 13 shots to get there. For their next game, the Shakers will most likely miss the services of Escoto who sprained his ankle in the second quarter.

The do-or-die game between the Big Chill Super Chargers and the Fruitas Shakers will be on Thursday, 3:00pm, at the Blue Eagle Gym. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Big Chill 77: Romeo 29, Montilla 22, Apinan 12, Bingas 4, Dumapig 3, Heruela 2, Villahermosa 2, Lozada 2, Canlas 1, Santos 0

Fruitas 72: Escobal 14, Cruz 13, Lastimosa 12, Colina 9, Tolomia 8, Mendoza 5, Caram 3, Pogoy 3, Semira 3, Escoto 2, Antonio 0

Quarter scores: 14-11, 29-28, 49-46, 77-71