By Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA
MANILA — Zamboanga Rapidos stifled Imus Bandera in the fourth quarter to walk away with an 83-78 win in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Datu Cup at the STRIKE Gymnasium in Bacoor on Monday night.
The Rapidos went on a huge 11-0 run midway in the final frame to take a 79-70 lead with 2:40 to play and quickly countered the Bandera’s late push.
JP Manansala still made things interesting as he scored five straight points to trim the lead down to four, 82-78, but a bit too late with only 4.6 seconds left in the game.
Reed Juntilla made 22 points, six rebounds, and one assist off the bench for Zamboanga, which scored its fourth straight win and moved back to .500 at 12-12, momentarily overtaking Bacoor City, which is hosting GenSan as of posting for fifth place in the Southern Division.
More importantly, the win put the Rapidos in a good position to even snatch the fourth seed away from the Warriors, especially if they lose to the Strikers.
Harold Arboleda went 4-for-5 from long range and finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
Ryan Buenafe came close to his own double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds with three assists, one steal, and one block.
Manansala and Jonathan Rivera each scored 13 markers for Imus, which dropped to 10-14, putting the team in danger of an early first round meeting with top-seed Davao Occidental in the playoffs should it lose to Mandaluyong next Monday.
