SAN Miguel Beer's June Mar Fajardo is on the prowl for a record-extending 12th PBA Best Player of the Conference award.
Through the end of the Season 49 Philippine Cup elimination round, Fajardo held pole position in the BPC race with teammate Cjay Perez, NLEX's Robert Bolick and Magnolia's Zav Lucero in pursuit.
"The Kraken" logged 40.4 average statistical points built around 17.5 points, a league-best 13.1 rebounds plus 3.3 assists to make a strong case for the top individual plum of the season-ending conference.
Fajardo is gunning for his second BPC of the season after previously hoisting the trophy in the season-opening Governors' Cup.
Fellow SMB stalwart Perez led the chase pack with 38.5 SPs, pushing his bid with a tournament-best 23.4 markers to go with 4.9 boards, 4.3 dimes and 1.8 steals.
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Bolick, who averaged 18.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and conference-best 7.2 assists, ran third with 37.6 SPs followed closely by Lucero with his 37.3 SPs fueled by impressive averages of 18.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 block.
Before Phoenix bowed out of the playoffs, star forward Jason Perkins, the All-Filipino meet's second-best scorer with 23.2 markers per game, positioned himself at No. 5 with 35.5 SPs.
TNT's Calvin Oftana (35.4 SPs), Converge's twin towers Justin Arana (34.6) and Justine Baltazar (34.6), Barangay Ginebra's Japeth Aguilar (34.2) and NorthPort's Joshua Munzon (32.3) rounded out the Top 10.
Sitting at 11th to 20th spots were Ginebra's Scottie Thompson (31.4), Converge's Deschon Winston (30.5), Phoenix's Kai Ballungay (30.3), Ginebra's Stephen Holt (30.2), NLEX's Javee Mocon (29.3), Ginebra's Jaime Malonzo (29.10), Rain or Shine's Leonard Santillan (29.09), ROS's Caelan Tiongson (28.7), Magnolia's Ian Sangalang (28.3) and Ginebra's RJ Abarrientos (28.1). (OL)
