By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE San Miguel Beermen raced to their third straight win in the PBA Philippine Cup after routing the Blackwater Bossing, 99-80, in league action on Wednesday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Beermen used a strong push in the third quarter to separate themselves from the Bossing and were never threatened from there to notch their third victory in four matches in the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) tournament.

June Mar S. Fajardo paced San Miguel in the win, finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The contest was tight up to the halfway point, with the Beermen holding a narrow one-point lead, 39-38, at the break.

In the third quarter, they picked up the pace, outscoring the Bossing, 15-4, in the first six minutes to hold a 54-42 advantage.

They continued to hold sway the rest of the period, extending their lead to 16 points, 69-53, heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth, San Miguel added further to their lead, stretching it to as much as 25 points, 82-57, by the 7:37 mark.

Blackwater managed to trim its deficit after, but not enough to post a serious threat.

CJ Perez added 14 points in the Beermen’s win, with Marcio E. Lassiter finishing with 13 points and Alex Cabagnot 12.

Arwind A. Santos had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

For Blackwater, which remained winless in four games, it was Simon Enciso who led with 25 points. Kelly B. Nabong and Mike S. Tolomia each had 12 points.

The Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors averted massive collapse to beat the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in five sets, 25-20, 25-12, 24-26, 21-25, 15-10, in Premier Volleyball League Open Conference action on Wednesday at the PCV Socio-Civic & Cultural Center in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte.

MJ Philipps led the way for Sta. Lucia, which lost a two sets-to-none lead in the game before hanging tough in the end. She scored a game-high 23 points, 16 coming off kills and five from blocks.

The Lady Realtors were seemingly on their way to a surprise easy win over the Crossovers until the latter made their charge back in sets three and four to force a deciding frame.

The teams went back and forth early in the fifth set until Jovielyn Prado towed Sta. Lucia to create some separation, 10-7, midway.

Dindin Santiago-Manabat pushed Chery Tiggo to within two points, 12-10, after, but it was the closest they could get as the Lady Realtors went on to seal the win.

Ms. Prado finished with 19 points for Sta. Lucia, which improved to 3-3 in the ongoing PVL tournament. Jonah Sabete added 18.

For Chery Tiggo, it was Ms. Santiago-Manabat who top-scored with 20 points, followed by her sister Jaja Santiago with 14 points.

The Crossovers now sport a 3-2 card. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

THE latest Team Lakay member in ONE Championship Jeremy “Juggernaut” Pacatiw is set to make his promotion’s debut at ONE: Battleground on Friday.

Got his professional start in another mixed martial arts company, 25-year-old Mr. Pacatiw (7-4) now looks to take his career to another plane and leave his mark in the sport through ONE.

First up for Mr. Pacatiw is a bantamweight clash with Chen Rui (9-2) of China.

“I’ll say now that they will see a different breed of Jeremy Pacatiw, a much better version of me,” said the fighter of his push heading into his ONE debut.

“I am very, very much excited for my debut and I believe we have everything set for this fight,” he added.

Mr. Pacatiw was officially announced as being part of ONE in June, joining Team Lakay teammates, who include Joshua Pacio (the reigning ONE strawweight champion), and former champs Eduard Folayang (lightweight), Honorio Banario (featherweight), Kevin Belingon (bantamweight) and Geje Eustaquio (flyweight).

He shared that his teammates have been rallying behind and helping him in his preparation.

“They gave me positive reminders ahead of my debut. They also told me that I should keep in mind that this being my debut, this is the moment for me to shine and get my name remembered,” he said.

Mr. Pacatiw went on to say that he recognizes that he has a lot to live up to being part of a renowned group like Team Lakay and expressed readiness for the challenge.

“I just stay focused. I don’t really feel pressured because that’s what they reminded me of. The most important thing in my mind right now is to win, and that’s it,” he said.

As for his opponent Chen, he is coming off a loss (technical knockout) in his previous fight against South Korean Kwon Won II and is out to rebound.

It is something not lost to Mr. Pacatiw and is not letting his guard down.

ONE: Battleground is headlined by the strawweight muay thai world championship clash between Thais Sam-A Gaiyanghadao (champion) and Prajanchai PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym. It will also feature the middleweight collision between former champion Aung La N Sang of Myanmar and Leandro Ataides of Brazil.

The event can be seen on July 30 over One Sports+ after the Premier Volleyball League and on Cignal TV channels 261 for HD and 91 for SD as well as on Cignal Play. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo