Floodbuster storm Warriors
Mahindra finally came through with the finishing kick it wasn’t able to deliver in its first two games, and the Floodbuster gained the breakthrough victory in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup with an 89-81 win over the NLEX Road Warriors at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
James White put in 30 points and 23 rebounds in a huge doubledouble performance and anchored Mahindra’s steady windup leading to the Floodbuster’s first win in three starts in the mid-season tourney.
The Floodbuster snapped a threegame losing skein from the all-Filipino tourney where they notched their last win at the expense of the Road Warriors themselves.
Meanwhile, the tourney goes out of town tonight with Terrence Romeo expected to be back in harness as GlobalPort and Star square off in a Petron Blaze Saturday Special at the Mindanao Civic Center in Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
The Mahindra locals put in enough support as the Floodbuster scored a second consecutive win over the Road Warriors whom they sent to a third straight loss in the tourney and seventh in a row from the Philippine Cup.
It’s already the longest slump and worst start in a tourney for the NLEX franchise.
Meanwhile, coach Yeng Guiao suffered his worst start in a conference in eight years or since his Red Bull team also got to a 0-3 start in the 2009 Philippine Cup.
Mahindra coach Chris Gavina said the key was playing tough all throughout the game.
“I explained to our guys our identity. It’s toughness. They played with a great deal of toughness to overcome a well-coached NLEX team. They fought to the end and we got a lot of contribution from key guys,” said Gavina.
They lacked that toughness in an 86-94 loss to Meralco followed by a 95-99 heartbreaker in overtime against Rain or Shine.
Gavina also mentioned the contribution of consultant Joe Lipa in helping prepare the Floodbuster against the Road Warriors.
“Coach Joe ran the drills all weeklong. Even as he’s been going through some issues, he’s still fighting for us; he’s teaching our guys,” Gavina said.
“We did a good job going to our strengths and in maximizing our matchup edge. Our guards did a tremendous job making the NLEX defense collapse as they located our shooters. They did a good job recognizing how our shooters can get open,” Gavina added.
As a result, the Floodbuster enjoyed a balanced offense with Ryan Araña, Reden Celda, Gary David and LA Revilla scoring nine points each, Alex Mallari adding seven and Mark Yee chipping in five.
Araña, Revilla and Yee struck at crunch time, combining for 17 points as the Floodbuster kept the Road Warriors at bay in the fourth quarter.
For the third straight game, the Meralco Bolts held their opponent below 90 points and came out triumphant, upending the TNT KaTropa Texters, 94-89, in the nightcap.
The Bolts dominated the Texters for their third win in a row following early victories over the Mahindra Floodbuster (94-86) and the NLEX Road Warriors (91-84).
“(Tough defense) seemed to be the key. That’s what we’re trying to focus on because we don’t have a team that can score 100 points a night. So it’s really important for us to defend,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.
NOTES: TNT KaTropa has flown in another import option in former Sacramento King Donte Greene. He’s likely to take over from Lou Amundson as the Texters play their third game in the tourney versus the Blackwater Elite on Friday. Amundson was signed up to a brief contract. “He knows that there’s another player coming in,” said a TNT official. The scores: First Game MAHINDRA 89 – White 30, Revilla 9, Celda 9, David 9, Araña 9, Mallari 7, Yee 5, Paniamogan 3, Galanza 3, Deutchman 2, Apinan 2, Salva 1, Ballesteros 0.
NLEX 81 – Chism 28, Rios 15, Camson 8, Soyud 7, Lanete 6, Alas 5, Taulava 4, Lastimosa 2, Tiongson 2, Guinto 2, Khobuntin 2, Baracael 0, Monfort 0, J. Villanueva 0. Quarterscores: 24-18, 44-34, 68-62, 89-81 Second Game MERALCO 94 – Stepheson 20, Amer 17, Dillinger 17, Newsome 10, Hugnatan 10, Faundo 6, Daquioag 5, Hodge 5, Chua 3, Caram 1, Uyloan 0.
TNT 89 – Amundson 19, Pogoy 15, Reyes 11, Fonacier 9, Rosario 6, Tautuaa 6, Rosales 6, Carey 5, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, De Ocampo 3, Williams 3, Tamsi 2, Golla 0, Hernandez 0.
Quarterscores: 22-22, 46-50,74-68, 94-89