FORMER UC STARS. Brian Heruela of San Miguel puts up a shot while teammate June Mar Fajardo boxes out Star import Ricardo Ratliffe in Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. Heruela and Fajardo used to play together for the University of Cebu.
(PBA images)
San Miguel Beer finishes off Star to advance to c’ship round
Finally finishing off a foe that simply didn’t want to go away, San Miguel Beer won the Final Four series that could have easily passed for the championship and took a giant step towards its run at history.
The Beermen turned back Star with authority for the first time, 109-102, yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena and bundled out the hard-fighting Hotshots by winning the last three games of the best-of-five series to book the first title series slot in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“What more can I say? People and management expected this from us,” San Miguel coach Leo Austria said after earning a shot at the second jewel of a Triple Crown sweep. “We’re back in the Finals and my players showed that they are (of) championship caliber.”
Alex Cabagnot fired 26 points and Chris Ross had 24 and 10 assists and Austria’s starting five scored all but eight of the Beermen’s total — outscored by just one by the entire Hotshots in a torrid shooting display Austria warned of after winning Game 2.
“Yes, we’re one step closer to the Grand Slam,” Austria said. “But it’s not in my mind. You can never know what will happen in the Finals. But now that we have the chance, we will work hard for it.”
June Mar Fajardo fired 22 points and import Charles Rhodes accounted for 21, with Marcio Lassiter shooting eight points, a game after draining the Hail Mary three-pointer on Wednesday night that gave San Miguel the chance for Friday’s clincher.
TNT KaTropa will try to put away No. 1 seed Barangay Ginebra on Saturday afternoon at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay, and if Austria could have his way, he would love this series to go on until next week.
“I really don’t care who we play (in the Finals),” he said. “Either team will be tough because, remember, they were the only ones who beat us in the eliminations.”
The best-of-seven title series will start on Wednesday even if the Ginebra-TNT series drags into a fifth game on Monday.
Ricardo Ratliffe paced the Hotshots with 36 points and Allein Maliksi fired 16 as Star failed to make it past the Final Four for the second straight conference.
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