The Tigers, who will be making their first quarterfinal appearance in eight conferences, got an inkling of what to expect by narrowly beating Barako Bull 99-95 Tuesday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Marcio Lassiter scattered a game-high 20 points but it was the likes of fellow rookie JVee Casio and sophomore Sean Anthony who came up with the most crucial points down the stretch to ensure the Tigers' victory.
Its sixth win in 14 elimination round outings hardly mattered for Powerade, which has long been assured of a No. 8 seeding and a win-twice handicap against the top-ranked team in the ensuing quarterfinal round.
Yet head coach Bo Perasol maintains it is the same kind of pressure-packed experience his youth-laden squad needs for the tougher grind ahead.
"That's exactly what I drew on the board the other day, us winning close games," said Perasol. "The five (previous) wins we had were blowouts and the five we could have won were down the wire. If we can't win down the wire, we can't expect to win in the playoffs."
Depending on their remaining games, either Talk ‘N Text, Petron Blaze or B-MEG can wind-up on top of the 10-team field and Perasol said Tuesday's game should help prepare his team for whichever it is they will be facing next.
"This game is a good test because we have to know how to win down the wire," he stated. "Whether it be Talk ‘N Text, B-MEG or Petron, these teams are going to be tough to contend with.
"So we need to know how to win close games. Maybe part of the reason is most of my players being young. But these guys are experienced, including our rookies."
Casio scored six of his 15 points in the fourth and even had a rare four-point play to fan Powerade's drive while Anthony spiked a 17-point, eight-rebound game with three charities inside the last 51 seconds that sealed it.
Willie Miller paced Barako Bull with 19 points while Danny Seigle had 17 and eight rebounds. But the Energy still dropped to a 6-7 win-loss slate and in danger of winding up at seventh, which entails a similar win-twice handicap against the No. 2 team.
The only hope the Energy have of avoiding such a dire strait is for it to beat 7-5 Ginebra Thursday and for the Kings to lose to Talk ‘N Text at elims end on Sunday. Such a tie will be resolved via the quotient and the Energy have the advantage for beating the Kings by 13 the first time they met.
The loss, Barako's fifth in six games, seemed avoidable after Miller took charge over a three-
minute stretch and brought the Energy back from a 67-77 deficit.
The two-time MVP scored six points and his assists to Lou Gatumbato and Mick Pennisi led to triples that pulled Barako Bull within 84-85 and 87-89, respectively.
Casio, Gary David and Lassiter made it an eight-point game before Dylan Ababou laced an 11-point fourth quarter with two charities and Miller's nifty drive made it a 93-96 count, still 19.6 ticks
left. (NC)
The scores:
POWERADE 99 - Lassiter 20, Anthony 17, Casio 15, David 14, Lingganay 13, Kramer 6, Adducul 6, Antonio 4, Allera 2, Crisano 2, Vanlandingham 0.
BARAKO 95 - Miller 19, Seigle 17, Salvacion 12, Ababou 11, Pennisi 9, Pena 6, Gatumbato 5, Najorda 5, Allado 4, Arboleda 4, Artadi 3, Aquino 0.
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