ALLAN THE MAN

June Mar Fajardo dominated down low, finishing with a career-high 26 points and 14 rebounds to carry the Petron Blaze Boosters to a pulsating 90-88 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game Two of their Governors’ Cup semifinals series on Wednesday at Cuneta Astrodome.

The rookie big man from Cebu scored 14 points, including three dunks, in the third quarter, allowing the Boosters to take command against the shorthanded Elasto Painters.

Petron was still up by nine points, 89-80, with less than two minutes left before Rain or Shine came roaring back. The Elasto Painters were within a single point after a putback by Beau Belga with 7.7 seconds left.

Rain or Shine sent Elijah Millsap to the foul line, and the Petron import split his free throws to give the Elasto Painters one last shot to tie the game.

But Arizona Reid missed a shot at the buzzer for Rain or Shine, allowing Petron to escape. The 6-foot-10 slotman made 12-of-17 attempts from the field, making up for the poor shooting performance from Millsap, who managed just 19 points after scoring 41 in the series opener.

Fajardo grabbed nine offensive rebounds, helping the Boosters score 25 second chance points. Reid carried the fight for Rain or Shine with 39 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists.

“We knew it was gonna be a good comeback by Rain or Shine,” said Abanilla. “We just got lucky in the end.”

The victory, Petron’s 11th straight in the tournament, gave the Boosters a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. But Abanilla warned his team against celebrating too early.

“Complacency is the real enemy for us,” he said. Petron has a chance to close out the series on Saturday when the two teams meet in Game Three, also at Cuneta Astrodome.

WATCH PETRON vs RAIN OR SHINE FULL GAME 2 REPLAY VIDEO BELOW:

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