MANILA, Philippines – Jeff Viernes took charge in the final quarter to lift Che'Lu Bar & Grill to a 112-97 triumph over Centro Escolar University (CEU) in Game 1 of their semifinals series in the 2018 PBA D-League Foundation Cup on Tuesday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Viernes, who used to play for GlobalPort in the PBA, scored 14 of his 21 points in the final quarter, helping stop the Scorpions' last-ditch rally.

What was once a comfortable 20-point lead for Che'Lu, 79-59, dwindled to just four points, 94-90, with still 3:11 left to play after Judel Fuentes fired up a triple.

However, that proved to be the last hurrah for the fourth-seeded Scorpions, as Chris Bitoon drilled a three-pointer of his own in response, before Viernes scored four straight points to restore a double-digit lead, 101-90, with 2:17 to play.

"'Yun nga ang palaging problem sa team na ito, 'yung complacency. Paulit ulit ko pinapaalala yun sa kanila," said coach Stevenson Tiu. "Good thing mas beterano kami kaya may advantage kami sa endgame."

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Levi Hernandez led the Revellers with 24 points on top of 3 rebounds, while Jessie Collado had 18 points and 5 boards. Jay-R Taganas, meanwhile, had an unusual double-double of 12 rebounds and 11 assists, to go along with four points.

Che'Lu can sweep the best-of-3 series and advance to the finals with another win over CEU on Thursday's Game 2.

Fuentes paced the Scorpions with 27 points and 6 rebounds, while Jan Formento finished with 17 markers.

The scores:

CHE’LU BAR AND GRILL 112 – Hernandez 24, Viernes 21, Collado 18, Bitoon 16, Siruma 11, Melano 6, Sta. Ana 6, Ruaya 5, Taganas 4, De Joya 1.

CEU 97 – Fuentes 27, Formento 17, Rojas 15, Guinitaran 10, Chan 9, Intic 5, Oloume 4, Wamar 4, Ke. Caballero 2, Ko. Caballero 2, Uri 2.

Quarters: 28-26, 53-46, 82-69, 112-97

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)