Petron gets big boost from Lutz to spoil Tim Cone’s B-Meg debut

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Petron gets big boost from Lutz to spoil Tim Cone’s B-Meg debut

by rick olivares photo by brosi g

October 5, 2011

Cuneta Astrodome

Pasay City

The Petron Blaze Boosters countered the triangle-offense running B-Meg Derby Ace Llamdos with an offensive trinity of their own to post a pulsating 73-69 win last night at the Cuneta Astrodome.

With Tim Cone behind a loaded Llamados team, the Blaze Boosters knew that their mastery of the famed offense would be less than perfect considering they’ve only had their coach for about a month. Hence, an opportunity to upend them before they fully grasped the offense. Petron, which piped grand slam seeking Talk ‘N Text for last year’s season ending Governors’ Cup, also once more found strength in smaller numbers after it lost the returning Dondon Hontiveros to a foot injury in the first quarter of play.

“We are no strangers to playing na kulang yung lineup namin,” said head coach Ato Agustin after the match referring to last year’s win where they paraded a depleted line-up in the finals. Petron is still without Jay Washington and last season’s Rookie of the Year, Rabeh Al-Hussaini who are both recuperating from knee injuries.

Petron drew inspiration from the trio of Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot, and Chris Lutz who accounted for 64% of their team’s output.

Santos, as usual intimidated the Llamados on the defensive end en route to 11 points, 19 boards and 1 swat. But it was Lutz who shouldered the offensive load in the third and early fourth quarter before Cabagnot scored seven of the last 10 points for Petron to hold the Llamados at bay and spoil the debut of Cone with B-Meg.

Cone, was on the sidelines for his new team after spending 22 years with Alaska where he guided the Uytengsu franchise to 13 championships.

Lutz, the former captain of the Marshall University Thundering Herd and Smart Gilas Pilipinas mainstay, scored on a three-point play off a foul by former national teammate Mark Barroca with 2:25 to play in the fourth period to give the Boosters a luxurious 69-66 lead. Twenty-seven seconds later, Cabagnot elicited another foul from the luckless Barroca who had a forgettable debut with B-Meg (2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 13 minutes). The Petron point guard hit both free throws to extend the lead to 71-67.

Cabagnot added two more points from the free throw line for a 73-67 lead with 43 seconds left. The Llamados Peter June Simon closed out the scoring with a twinner of his own.

“It felt good to be able to help my new team,” said Lutz outside the Petron dugout after the game. “It was nice to see my teammates have faith to put the ball in my hands in that situation. But it was a team effort this win. We got it done on both ends of the court.”

Petron 73 – Lutz 19, Cabagnot 17, Santos 11, Miranda 8, Sharma 6, Ildefonso 5, Guevarra 3, Agustin 2, Yeo 2, Baclao 0, Hontiveros 0.

B-Meg 69 – Simon 21, Yap James 10, Raymundo 10, DeVance 9, Yap Roger 9, Ferriols 4, Barroca 2, Reavis 2, Maierhofer 1, Pingris 1, Urbiztondo 0.