MANILA — The Petron Blaze Boosters can now heave a sigh of relief, at least for the moment. Their backs against the wall near the tail end of the standings, the injury-riddled Boosters fought like there's no tomorrow to hammer out a morale-boosting 96-86 win against top contender Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum Wednesday. The win snapped Petron's three-game losing streak as the Boosters improved to a 4-6 win-loss card, climbing one notch higher in the standings at solo eighth spot. Chris Lutz led the Boosters with 19 points, including 4-of-8 three-point shots. He also had five rebounds and five assists. But the Boosters drew their biggest inspiration from seeing their team captain, veteran center Danny Ildefonso, rising from sick bed and playing with grim determination despite the nagging pain from his injured shoulder. At one point, Ildefonso even dived for a loose ball. He was supposed to undergo surgery but decided to postpone his date with the surgeon and suit up instead to inspire his teammates. His sacrifice paid off. Petron had six players finishing in double figures as the Boosters showed a kind of ferocity both in defense and offense that was badly missing in their previous games. Arwind Santos was spectacular on both ends of the court, finishing with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Jay Washington added 14 points, Marcio Lassiter 12, Alex Cabagnot 11, and Denok Miranda 10. Petron head coach Olsen Racela said defense was the key to their victory. “Defensively we held down a team which is the No. 1 or No. 2 in scoring,” Racela said, noting Rain or Shine's 35 percent shooting from the field and the last two quarters where they held the Painters to 15 and 12 points. In contrast, the Boosters converted 48 percent on their shots. “We needed a win badly, not just for the team standings, but also to get our confidence back,” said Racela. “I was also having doubts myself after we lost three straight games, but the players helped me and I got my confidence back.” From a tight first half, the Boosters came charging after the break, outscoring the Painters 33-12 to pull away. The Painters tried all their might to get close but all in vain as the Boosters stayed hot until the final buzzer. Rain or Shine suffered only its third loss in nine games, holding on to solo third in the standings. Jeff Chan led the Painters with 20 points while Beau Belga had 14. In the first game of the double-header, Mark Isip scored the game-winning basket with 6 seconds left to power the Air 21 Express to a pulsating 104-103 win against the Alaska Aces, their third straight win in the conference. The victory enabled Air21 to tie Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for sixth to seventh spots in the standings, both with a 4-5 card. The Aces suffered their third straight defeat after winning five straight games. They now have a 5-5 card, good for a solo fifth spot. Nino Canaleta led the Express with 21 points. John Wilson added 13 points, while Isip and Mike Cortez chipped in 12 points apiece. Mark Baracael scored a career-high 24 points to lead Alaska, while Calvin Abueva had 17 points and 10 rebounds. However, Alaska's backcourt pair of Cyrus Baguio and JVee Casio fared miserably, with the two combining for just 13 points.
