Cabagnot, four others score in double digits as Blaze Boosters defeat Barako Bull

Alex Cabagnot sank six triples, three in the deciding fourth quarter, to lead the Governors’ Cup champions Petron Blaze Boosters to a 95-83 victory over Barako Bull in a PBA All-Filipino Cup game yesteray at the Ynarez Center in Antipolo City.

Cabagnot led five Petron players in double figures as he scored 22 points on a 6-of-11 clip from beyond the arc.

Arwind Santos added 19, rookie Chriz Lutz had 17, Carlo Sharma chipped in 15 and Danny Ildefonso scored 11 for the Blaze Boosters, who improved to 2-0 (win-loss).

Santos and Cabagnot scored 22 of Petron’s 20 fourth-quarter points as they led a searing run that turned a 73-64 lead entering the fourth to a 93-74 gap with just two minutes left.

Cabagnot drilled three successive triples halfway through the fourth while Santos added two straight slam dunks capped off with his own three-pointer to put the game away.

Barako Bull managed to put up a fight in the third period behind the efforts of Allein Maliksi and former Petron center Mick Pennisi.

But the Boosters recoverd fast. Lutz, who scored 19 points in Petron’s 73-69 win over B-Meg last Wednesday, joined hands with Sharma to restore the Boosters’ composure on offense.

Sharma had a decent showing as he made his first seven shots, the last three kept Petron on top in the third.

He was used by Petron coach Ato Agustin to fill in the void left by the injured Rabeh Al-Hussaini. Petron also continued to miss the services of the injured Jay Washington and Cebuano Dondon Hontiveros.   Brian J. Ochoa