MANILA — Rookie center June Mar Fajardo played his best game in the league, finishing with a career-high 26 points and 14 rebounds, to lift the Petron Blaze Boosters to a scintillating 90-88 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game 2 of their Governors' Cup semifinals series at Cuneta Astrodome Wednesday. With their second straight semifinals victory and 11th straight overall, the Boosters are just a win away from entering the finals. Fajardo was at his most explosive in the third quarter when he poured 14 points, punctuated by three dunks, as the Boosters appeared all set to blow the game away against the E-Painters. But the E-Painters, despite missing two key players, would not go down without a fight. With Petron up by nine points, 89-80, they came charging back with less than two minutes left. Suddenly, Petron was ahead by just a hairline after Beau Belga scored on a follow-up shot with 7.7 seconds left. Rain or Shine elected to foul Elijah Millsap on the return play. The Petron import hit only one of two free throws, giving the E-Painters one last shot to knot the game. But Arizona Reid missed a shot as the buzzer sounded, putting Petron within one game of completing a sweep of the semifinals. Petron head coach Gee Abanilla paid tribute to his 6'10” starting center. “June Mar Fajardo really stepped up for us,” Abanilla said. Fajardo was red-hot from the field, nailing 12 of 17 attempts from the field. The behemoth also grabbed nine offensive rebounds, translating to 25 second chance points for Petron. Abanilla credited veteran center Danny Ildefonso for helping Fajardo develop his game. In Game 1, Fajardo was also impressive, scoring 15 points and hauling down 17-rebounds. After scoring 41 in Game 1, Millsap cooled down a bit, finishing with 19 points. Already saddled with the loss of top gunner Paul Lee to injury even before the series started, Rain or Shine lost two more of its starting unit — J.R. Quinahan and Ryan Arana — also to injuries before gametime. Reid tried to play a one-man wrecking crew for Rain or Shine, finishing with 39 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists. Petron will try to finish off Rain or Shine Saturday in Game 3 of their series. However, Abanilla warned his boys not to celebrate too early. “Complacency is the real enemy for us,” he said. The scores: Petron 90 - Fajardo 26, Millsap 19, Santos 16, Lassiter 13, Lutz 4, Tubid 4, Lanete 3, Cabagnot 3, Kramer 2. Rain or Shine 88 - Reid 39, Chan 11, Cruz 8, Belga 8, Ibanes 8, Norwood 6, Matias 3, Tiu 2, Rodriguez 2, Jaime 1, Uyloan 0, Tang 0. Quarters: 24-26, 42-40, 70-64, 90-88.
