Harbour posts No. 2; Bacchus halts Hapee

Mark Andy Barroca came through with late-game heroics as Harbour Centre survived Toyota Otis, 98-93, to notch its second straight win in the PBL PG Flex Linoleum Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City yesterday.

Barroca, one of the four rookies from FEU, fired seven of his 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Batang Pier scored their second win after their 83-66 rout of the Pharex Generix last Saturday.

“Everybody just played well,” said Harbour Centre coach Jorge Gallent. “I told them they should play together as a team and it worked.”

But it was Barroca who took over in the last quarter, scoring seven clutch points, including a three-point play off JV Casio, to keep the Batang Pier in command with a little over four minutes to go.

Harbour Centre also came up with key stops to preserve the lead and secure the victory.

In the second game, Bacchus Energy Drink survived a late comeback by Hapee Toothpaste as it escaped with an 88-84 upset win.

Paul Lee, a rookie from University of the East, fired a team-high 17 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and five assists in 28 minutes while Pari Llagas and James Martinez also from UE — added 14 and 12 points each as the Energy Warriors recovered from a seven-point halftime deficit to stun the Complete Protectors.

“I knew we could get this win,” said Bacchus head coach Lawrence Tiongson.

Former UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz led Hapee with 20 points and 12 rebounds, Earn Saguindel chipped in with 17 points while Fil-Am Lance Convento and Jim Viray each scored 11.