PHOENIX SALVAGES SEMIS SPOT

Games Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4 p.m. – Phoenix vs Magnolia / 8 p.m. – Ginebra vs San Miguel

Phoenix went full throttle against Meralco early and this time drove all the way to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.

Wiser after their bungled job four nights before, the fourth-seeded Fuel Masters held tough until the end after zooming ahead to secure an 88-84 clincher last night at the MOA Arena.

Johnathan Williams III and Jason Perkins started the fire then led the quashing of the Bolts’ familiar second-half fightback as Phoenix made good on its second shot at the Final Four following its 107-116 triple-overtime loss Wednesday.

Jamike Jarin’s wards sealed a best-of-five date with top seed Magnolia to the delight of supporters led by team owner Dennis Uy.

“Credit goes to everyone. We all worked our butts off,” said Jarin, whose gritty bunch sent Phoenix to its first semifinal appearance since the 2020 Philippine Cup bubble in Clark.

“Of course, nobody predicted at the start that we’d be in the Top 4. We’re happy to make it to the semifinals and we’ll continue to play harder and hopefully things go our way,” he added.

Williams scattered 21 points, 16 rebounds and two assists while Perkins netted 19, six of them in the fourth that kept Phoenix afloat after Meralco threatened to within four at 79-75.

Skipper RJ Jazul was also solid with his 13-point outing as did rookie Ken Tuffin.

Notes: Meralco goes for a franchise first as it seeks to annex top honors in Leg 4 of the PBA 3x3 Season 3 Third Conference beginning today at the Ayala Malls Makati Circuit. With triumphs in Legs 1 and 3, the Bolts are on their strongest performance yet after copping one leg win each in the first four conferences of the three-year-old league….. Meanwhile, women’s basketball players get a major shot in the arm with the relaunch of the Women’s PBA Invitational 3x3 today. Two teams from Gilas Pilipinas women lead six squads in the opening phase of the WPBA 3x3 tournament, which starts with a four-game bill at 3:35 p.m. Joining Gilas A and B in the battle for half-court supremacy are Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy-Go For-Gold, Angelis Resort, and Uratex Dream.

The scores:

Phoenix 88 – Williams 21, Perkins 19, Jazul 13, Tuffin 10, Mocon 9, Tio 6, Alejandro 4, Rivero 4, Garcia 2, Muyang 0, Manganti 0, Lalata 0, Daves 0, Verano 0, Camacho 0.

Meralco 84 – Newsome 15, Hodge 15, Maliksi 15, Miller 12, Quinto 11, Black 7, Banchero 7, Almazan 2, Rios 0, Pascual 0.

Quartercores: 30-22, 55-43, 77-62, 88-84