Phoenix adds to Blackwater’s woes, stays in playoff picture

After losing two straight games within the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Phoenix finally got over the hump on the expense of one other struggling side in Blackwater, 125-108, at Ynares Sports Center in Montalban on Friday.

The Fuel Masters stayed solidly contained in the playoff picture after rising to 4-3, putting losses to Barangay Ginebra and NLEx behind while adding to the woes of the Bossing and recent coach Pat Aquino.

And coach Charles Tiu acknowledged that the dominant win over the Bossing was huge for the morale of his Fuel Masters.

“It just feels nice to get back with a win,” Tiu said. “With that two-game losing streak, it was tough, our morale was down, but I’m just comfortable to get the win.

“I like how we shared the ball, the ball movement was good for probably the most part, guys made good decisions and made good plays,” he added.

The Fuel Masters climbed to sixth spot after tallying 29 assists in comparison with Blackwater’s 16 and Phoenix earned some form of buffer against a chasing pack that features Magnolia, Terrafirma and San Miguel Beer, who’re all at 3-4.

Top two locals

Phoenix can also be only one game behind powerhouses Barangay Ginebra and TNT.

Jason Perkins and Ken Tuffin had 25 and 20 points, respectively in providing a splendid back-up job to import James Dickey III, who finished with monster numbers of 27 points and 26 rebounds.

It was the second 20-20 game for Dickey III after a 20-26 debut against the Hotshots.

“We treated this like a playoff game, we wanted to come back out strong and we were in a position to try this today,” Tuffin said. “The coaches had great game plans and we were in a position to execute them.”

The Bossing’s Aquino era, however, remained and not using a win after two games. Import Robert Upshaw’s 36-point and nine-rebound outing was put to waste as Blackwater dropped its fourth straight game.

Sedrick Barefield also scored 27 within the defeat that sent Blackwater to a 1-6 slate.