By Jerome Lagunzad
Games Today
(Muntinlupa Sports Center)
7 p.m. – Bataan vs Bulacan
9 p.m. – Imus vs Muntinlupa
Jeff Javillonar and Ford Ruaya made clutch plays on both ends down the stretch as host Valenzuela foiled Quezon City, 84-79,on Thursday night to close out its 2018 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Anta Rajah Cup elimination round in style.
The undersized Javillonar set up Ruaya for the game-tying basket then accounted for the team’s last five points – all from the charity stripe – to help the Classic recover their bearings and give the partisan crowd at the Valenzuela Astrodome something to cheer about.
RJ Argamino sizzled with 22 points, spiked by four triples, on top of eight rebounds and three assists while Javillonar and Ruaya combined for 19 points and 11 rebounds for Valenzuela, which got back on track and jacked up its mark to 6-3.
John Tayongtong sustained his fine form for Quezon City with 22 points and 11 rebounds while PJ Barua added 17 points, including a huge triple for a 79-77 lead with 1:31 remaining.
But that proved to be the Capitals’ last hurrah as they fired one brick after another, leading to their second straight loss and a 5-4 mark alongside Navotas from fifth to sixth spots.
Earlier, the Clutch overcame the Parañaque Patriots in a thrilling windup, 78-74, to gain added momentum heading to the playoffs.
Former pro star Sunday Salvacion finished with 16 points while JP Calvo and Yves Sazon made the insurance freebies inside the last 10 seconds as Navotas racked up its second straight win following a 66-56 thumping of eliminated Caloocan last week.
Jong Baloria fired 19 points off the bench while Jemaal Vizcarra added 18 points that all went down the drain as Parañaque slipped down to seventh with a 4-5 record.
Action in the elimination round draws to a close tonight at the Muntinlupa Sports Center, with Bataan and Imus disputing the eighth and final playoff spot against separate rivals.
The Defenders, led by four-time PBA scoring champion Gary David, will have the initial crack at 7 p.m. against pre-season champion Bulacan Kuyas while the Bandera will have their chance at 9 p.m. against the host Muntinlupa Cagers.
In case of a tie at the end of elims, Bataan owns the tiebreaker over Imus by virtue of its 91-87 victory in their lone elimination round meeting last February 20.
