Texters overrun BPier; Hotshots nip Beermen

MANILA, Philippines — TNT KaTropa banked on the endgame explosions of Marqus Blakely and Terrence Romeo, completing a tremendous fightback from 23 down and adding to the woes of the NorthPort Batang Pier in a mind-boggling 104-102 win in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Blakely scored 15 of his 23 points in the last six minutes of the contest, including the deciding basket in a strong drive off three defenders with six seconds to go as the resurgent Texters notched a third straight win and hit the .500 mark with a 4-4 win-loss mark.

Romeo top scored with 25 points and was also a key factor in their fourth-quarter charge with nine markers, including two big three-pointers that came as terrible blows on the Batang Pier that reeled to a sixth successive loss.

The spitfirish guard later paid tribute to team consultant Mark Dickel and to his veteran teammates who kept the faith even as the team fell behind by 23 at 37-60 and still trailed by a big margin at 84-96 entering the last six minutes of the game.

“Hindi sila nawalan ng pagasa (They didn’t lose hope), and they just kept on pushing us. And so all of us never gave up,” said Romeo.

Coach Bong Ravena said it’s about putting up the energy and effort, and making the stops.

“It came late, but it’s better late than never,” said Ravena. “We’re basically a new team with a new system.”

Magnolia shut down San Miguel Beer in the last 2:16 of the game and turned to Justin Melton and Paul Lee for the key baskets as the Hotshots carved out a gripping 109-108 win to move up to joint second place with Blackwater at 4-1 later in the night.

“I talked to my players at halftime, telling them the first half was not our game. If we want a shot at the game, we have to turn the game into a defensive battle. And we did, especially in the final minute,” said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero.

The scores: 

First Game

TNT 104 – Romeo 25, Blakely 23, Rosario 12, Cruz 11, Pogoy 10, Trollano 7, Garcia 6, Reyes 3, Carey 2.

NorthPort 102 – Woods 19, Pringle 18, Tautuaa 18, Grey 18, Anthony 15, Javelona 9, Taha 4, Guinto 1, Elorde 0, Araña 0, Espinas 0, Fortuna 0.

Quarterscores: 21-32, 43-66, 71-87, 104-102

Second Game

Magnolia 109 – Lee 28, Travis 18, Sangalang 16, Melton 12, Dela Rosa 10, Barroca 8, Jalalon 5, Ramos 3, Simon 3, Gamalinda 2, Reavis 2, Brondial 2.

San Miguel 108 – Murphy 37, Standhardinger 27, Lassiter 14, Santos 8, Nabong 6, Ross 6, Cabagnot 4, Heruela 3, Pessumal 3, De Ocampo 0.

Quarterscores: 29-36, 57-61, 84-88, 109-108