No import, no problem as Petron’s Fajardo leaves Sundov in the shade

Petron rookie June Mar Fajardo had 20 points and 13 rebounds while battling Rain or Shine import Bruno Sundov in what was easily his finest game as a pro. Jerome Ascano

JUNE Mar Fajardo came up big for an import-less Petron squad on Saturday night, outclassing Bruno Sundov in the Boosters’ 87-79 win over Rain or Shine in a PBA Commissioner’s Cup’s Phoenix on Tour game at the Panabo Multi-Purpose Tourism, Culture and Sports Center in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.

Holding his own against Rain or Shine’s 7-foot-3 import, the 6-9 Fajardo scored 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting while grabbing 13 rebounds in what was easily his finest game for a Petron team that made him the top pick overall in the last rookie draft.

“Monster performance,” Gilas coach Chot Reyes, who had picked Fajardo for his 17-man pool for the coming Fiba-Asia championships, tweeted of the Cebuano big man’s performance.

He joined forces with Marcio Lassiter, who scored 12 of his 14 points in a big fourth-quarter stand that gave the Boosters an unlikely victory, just days after former import Renaldo Balkman was banned for life from the league for his attack on teammates.

The victory also shoved Petron to a tie for the lead with idle Alaska on 6-2 win-loss records.

Sundov finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds, but he was hardly a factor in the second half as he got into foul trouble and couldn’t impose his presence inside the paint against Fajardo and Dorian Pena.

Rain or Shine fell to 5-3.