GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Elmer Espiritu stole the thunder from boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and his MP Pacman Gensan as he powered the Cobra Energy Drink to a thrilling 83-79 victory that gave the Ironmen the first finals berth in the Tournament of the Philippines second leg at the Lagao gym here.

While most of the fans came to see Pacquiao, whose lone basket came on a three-pointer in the third quarter, it was the athletic Espiritu who made the big difference as he steered the Asia Brewery franchise to its second straight win.

Espiritu got a huge help from Pari Llagas, who hit big shots in the fourth quarter as the Ironmen dealt Pacquiao’s Warriors their first defeat in the tournament organized by the Philippine Basketball League and Liga Pilipinas.

“Mahirap talagang maglaro against a home team, talagang di bibitaw yan. Luckily, we were able to snatch this win,” Cobra coach Lawrence Chongson said.

Earlier, Misamis Oriental capitalized on the sloppy play of the Stallions to score an 86-79 win. Patrick Cabahug scored 19 points to lead four double figure scorers for Misamis, which improved an even 1-1 card.