Blackwater kept its head above water with a triumphant closing game in the elimination round.
The Elite banked on a crucial closing flurry to outlast the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 83-78, in a tough nip-and-tuck battle and thus assure themselves of at least a playoff crack at the last quarterfinals berth in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
Poy Erram, John Pinto, Toto Jose and Mike Digregorio carried Blackwater past Phoenix at the finish, enabling the Elite to gain solo eighth place with a closing 5-6 win-loss card in the elims.
Phoenix dropped to joint ninth with TNT KaTropa and Meralco at 4-6. These three teams need to win their closing games for a possible playoff shot at the eighth quarters slot.
"Isa lang ang comment ko sa inyo before the game - must win for us," said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac in a post-game talk with the PBA sportswriters.
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"I challenged the players to prove themselves. I shared with them stories of great players overcoming tough challenges and winning while facing the same situation as ours - one loss and out," said Isaac. "I have to commend our guys for rising to the occasion. It's a team effort."
At 5-6, the Elite will now have to wait what will be their situation at the end of the eliminations on March 2.
"We're hoping that the five wins that we have would be good enough to play a playoff game. Or maybe, if the teams standings would be more complicated, it would favor us because we beat some teams who might figure in a tie with us," said Isaac.
"We look to playing more games in the conference," he added.
They gain outright playoff entry should Phoenix, TNT KaTropa and Meralco all lose their closing games in the tourney.
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The Elite won theirs on a 9-3 closing binge in the tough match marked by 27 lead changes and eight dead locks.
Down by one at 74-75, Blackwater moved ahead to stay on six unanswered points by Erram, Pinto and Digregorio.
Digregorio and Jose, along with Mac Belo, paced the team with 14 points each while Roi Sumang and Erram added 12 points each.
Pinto made only five points but came through with a score of hustle plays in the homestretch, including a steal on Gelo Alolino when they're holding a precarious 81-77 lead with 1:03 left to play.
Jason Perkins led the losing team with 17, with Jeff Chan and RJ Jazul adding 13 points apiece. (SB)
