MANILA — Their image of a raging bull didn't quite suit the Barako Bull Energy Cola Saturday. Faced with the fire-breathing Petron Blaze Boosters, the Energy Cola simply wilted and collapsed, losing 83-93, in a PBA Philippine Cup road game in Lucena City. Arwind Santos spewed the biggest fire among the Boosters with a double-double output of 21 points and 12 rebounds aside from three blocks. Barako Bull was still in command, 55-51, early in the third quarter when Marcio Lassiter drilled a three-pointer to spark a 17-7 run that allowed Petron Blaze to grab a 68-62 lead. Lassiter scored six more points in that span as he finished with 11 points, the same output dished out by starting point guard Alex Cabagnot. Jay Washington and Chris Lutz chipped in with 12 points apiece in another balanced Petron Blaze assault. The Boosters poured on the heat in the final quarter, launching a 10-0 run to take a commanding 16-point lead. The Energy Cola managed to cut the lead to 10 at 82-72, but Cabagnot scored on a four-point play that cut short the Barako Bull rally. The Boosters won their third straight game and improved to a 6-6 mark, giving them a solid crack at a quarterfinals slot with only two more elimination round matches left in their schedule. They are now tied for sixth to seventh places with the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings. The Energy Cola suffered its third straight loss and fell to 3-8, a notch higher than that of last-placer GlobalPort Batang Pier (1-10). Doug Kramer had a solid double-double of 15 points and 21 rebounds for Barako Bull, but this was not enough to stop his team from inching closer to elimination. Danny Seigle and Sean Anthony contributed 16 and 12 points, respectively, in a losing effort.
