Fuel Masters thrive on youth, maturity

MANILA, Philippines -- A combination of youth and maturity helped the Phoenix Fuel Masters secure their first twice-to-beat advantage in the PBA in three years, head coach Jamike Jarin said.

Phoenix secured the coveted twice-to-beat bonus following a 93-83 win over the Meralco Bolts Wednesday.

This is the squad's first twice-to-beat incentive since the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup.

Aside from the usual stellar play of the Fuel Masters' import Johnathan Williams III, the balanced production from the locals -- both veterans and rookies -- propelled Phoenix to solo second spot with an 8-2 slate.

Asked what changed from prior conferences to the current tourney, Jarin said "getting younger and getting a little bit old" helped the team.

"Maturity and getting younger, that. Tyler [Tio] is saying that he's got some years now in the PBA, and now, we got younger with the rookies that we have," the head coach told reporters after the win.

"So, it's the culture that we built, the selfless basketball and sacrificing," he added.

In the crucial win over Meralco, veteran Jason Perkins led all scorers with 22 points and eight rebounds.

Williams had 19 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.

Tio and RJ Jazul chipped in 15 and 13 markers, respectively.

Aside from the main guys, rookies Ken Tuffin, Raffy Verano, Ricci Rivero also saw some significant time on the floor.

The newbies have been showing great performances throughout the season.

"So, we need to continue this, but right now, we have to bank on the experience of our veterans," Jarin said.

"I hope we get deeper into the playoffs so we can talk more about the maturity and the culture that we're building here," he added.

Phoenix will be playing its last elimination round game against the TNT Tropang Giga on Sunday, January 14.