By Jerome Lagunzad
Game Tomorrow
(Ynares Sports Arena)
3 p.m. – CEU vs Zark’s Burgers
(Quarterfinals, do-or-die match)
Back in his old stomping ground, diminutive guard Jeff Viernes immediately made a big impact for newcomer Che’Lu Bar and Grill yesterday.
The 5-foot-7 Viernes took charge down the stretch as the new-look Revellers pulled off a come-from-behind 80-72 victory over the Gamboa Coffee Lovers and advanced to the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup semifinals at the Pasig City Sports Center.
Fresh from a two-year stint in Thailand, Viernes, 28, shrugged off a jittery start as he teamed up with fellow guard RK Ilagan in leading the Revellers’ blazing finish that prevented the Coffee Lovers from forcing a sudden-death showdown.
“I’m so happy na nakabalik ako at nakalaro ulit dito,” said Viernes, who came off the bench and tallied 10 of his game-high 22 points in the final period where he put on the finishing touches alongside fellow new faces JayR Taganas and Cedrick Ablaza.
In the other quarterfinal pairing, star guard CJ Perez put on an offensive show down the stretch as the sixth-seeded Zark’s Burgers turned back third-ranked Centro Escolar University, 104-95, to force a sudden-death encounter.
The 6-foot-2 Perez racked up 11 straight points in a span of three minutes, capped by a step-through lay-up over Scorpions center Rod Ebondo for a 99-92 lead, single-handedly steering the Jawbreakers to an all-important victory after blowing an early 18-point victory.
“That’s CJ for us. He’s gonna win games, he’s gonna lose games for us. It just so happened he was in his rhythm,” said Zark’s Burgers coach Topex Robinson of the reigning NCAA league MVP who finished with 26 points, backstopping the 28-point, 12-rebound showing given by Cameroon center Mike Nzeusseu.
The returning 6-foot-7 Ebondo was back in his usual dominant self with 32 points and 25 rebounds but hardly made his presence felt in the crunch as CEU came up short and saw its twice-to-beat advantage get neutralized.
