Blazing Builders tame City Lions, finish 4th

St. Gerrard Construction-Benilde rebounded from a tough second set loss and turned back Santa Rosa in the last frame to carve out a 25-17, 25-27, 25-20, 25-21 victory and finish fourth in Pool C in the Spikers' Turf Invitational Conference yesterday at the Paco Arena in Manila.

Jacob Herrera soared for a 16-attack game while James Marasigan backed him up with 12 markers as they helped the Blazing Builders close out their campaign with a 2-3 (win-loss) slate.

Though they fell short of securing a Top 2 finish to advance to the knockout stage, the Blazing Builders gained valuable experience in the season-ending conference.

The Blazing Builders almost crumbled late in the fourth but Marasigan proved clutch, coming through with a kill block to frustrate the City Lions, who wound up fifth in the six-team field with a 1-4 card.

Mike Balbacal and Herrera sparked a 4-1 run to put the Blazing Blazers at match point, 24-19. But they surrendered two consecutive points on a Marasigan net touch and Santa Rosa's Gene Margate's quick hit.

Arnel Aguilar and Balbacal added 11 and 10 markers, respectively, while Lorenz Villanueva tossed 17 excellent sets for Benilde.

Alihfaisal Gampong scored 11 points, all on attacks, for the City Lions.