By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The San Miguel Beermen ran out of gas in the last minutes of the bronze medal match against Zhejiang Guangsha, losing a squeaker, 91-89, in the East Asia Super League.
After trailing by 9 points in the final 1:37 of the game, the Beermen fought till the end. Alex Cabagnot delivered in the clutch to help his team mount the comeback.
Cabagnot displayed his savvy veteran leadership as he orchestrated the Beermen’s offense without coach Leo Austria needing to bark instructions from the bench.
Cabagnot led the late rally after scoring three crucial baskets that shocked the Tap Seac Sports Pavilion, but came up short.
Guangsha was bigger and boasted a deeper rotation, while the Beermen are still missing the services of five-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, shooter Marcio Lassiter, and big man Christian Standhardinger who were all nursing injuries.
Dez Wells continued his amazing run in the tournament after dropping 33 big points, 5 boards, and 4 dimes.
Co-import Lester Prosper chipped in another double-double performance with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Liaoning Flying Leopards led by Lance Stephenson was crowned champions.
