TERRENCE Romeo scored a season-high 33 points, including five triples and a perfect 6-of-6 clip from the line, to lead streaking GlobalPort to its third straight victory, a hard-fought 108-104 thriller over the now-eliminated Meralco in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City last night.
After squandering the entirety of its gigantic 24-point, second-half lead, the Batang Pier, led by Romeo, got their acts back together in the final three minutes to avoid a huge meltdown and emerge victorious despite a gallant fight back from the Bolts.
Already safely into the quarterfinals, GlobalPort is now in a better spot after this win as it regained solo fourth place with a 6-3 card. But more importantly, it is in a good position to secure a Top 6 finish and a twice-to-beat edge in the next phase.
With two games remaining for the Batang Pier, one more win will guarantee it a Top 6 finish and the incentive it is aiming for.
‘’At least iyong objective ng team nakukuha na namin. Nasa No. 3, 4 and 5 kami sa standings, around there. We just need to finish the elimination round strong pa rin,’’ said GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio.
Stanley Pringle was also impressive for GlobalPort, scoring 19 points on top of six rebounds and six assists in another all-around performance.
The very disappointing campaign of the Bolts for the conference is nearing its end as they are now officially eliminated. Meralco remained at the cellar with a woeful 1-9 record following this fourth straight setback and it will have one more game before it formally bids the competition goodbye.
GlobalPort was actually in firm control of the contest in the first three frames before Meralco threatened in the fourth and made a game out of it in a desperate attempt to keep its season alive.
It trimmed its deficit to a manageable 74-87 heading to the fourth to give itself some sort of a chance.
With momentum on their side, the Bolts continued their fightback in the fourth, unleashing a booming 23-7 blast to snatch the lead, 96-94, after Cliff Hodge completed that run with a basket with 3:45 remaining.
However, GlobalPort woke up just in time and countered with a killer 9-0 run in the next two minutes to regain control and retake the lead as Romeo’s triple with 1:48 left gave the Batang Pier a 103-96 edge.
Still, the Bolts will not go away as they scored five unanswered capped by Jimmy Alapag’s triple with 1:11 remaining to make it just 103-101 in favor of the Batang Pier entering the final minute.
Hodge then missed on an attempt to tie the game with over 30 seconds left while Romeo sank two free throws on the other end to make it 105-101 for GlobalPort with just 28.9 ticks left.
Showing that he still has his clutch genes intact, Alapag knocked down another triple with two guys on him, to keep the Bolts alive as the Batang Pier’s lead was sliced to just one, 105-104, with 18.5 seconds remaining.
But that proved to be Meralco’s last hoorah as GlobalPort held on to the lead in the final seconds to preserve the victory.
Romeo made two more free throws to make it 107-104 for GlobalPort while still leaving a chance for the Bolts to tie and force overtime. But Alapag attempt from the trey area idn’t find its mark, allowing the Batang Pier to escape.
Jay Washington, who added 15 markers for GlobalPort, sealed the win for GlobalPort and settled the final tally by making two freebies in the final seconds.
Alapag led all Meralco scorers with his own season-high of 18 points.
The scores:
GLOBALPORT 108 – Romeo 33, Pringle 19, Washington 15, Mamaril 8, Yeo 8, Jensen 7, Kramer 7, Maierhofer 6, Sumang 3, Semerad 2.
MERALCO 104 – Alapag 18, Hodge 17, Nabong 13, Hugnatan 12, Faundo 11, Newsome 10, David 8, Buenafe 7, Dillinger 4, Amer 3, Caram 1, Al-Hussaini 0. Quarters: 26-22, 55-44, 87-73, 108-104
Games Friday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:15 p.m. – Blackwater vs, Barako Bull
7 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs. Alaska
