Carnival ride on Hyram’s clutch trey
Hyram Bagatsing delivered on a crucial offensive Kia plotted in the closing seconds with a pulse-pounding three-point shot as the Carnival upended the NLEX Road Warriors, 85-82, for their second straight win in the PBA Governors Cup at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo last night.
Game Thursday (Dubai) 7 p.m. – Globalport vs Rain or Shine
Game Friday (Dubai) 7 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Ginebra
Bagatsing and fellow former La Salle player LA Revilla worked out the decisive play for the win that preserved the heroics of the Kia locals and Asian import Jet Chang as import Hamady N’Diaye struggled for merely six points and eight rebounds.
Revilla drew the defense as he tried to go for a drive then kicked off a crosscourt pass to Bagatsing, who unloaded the three-point shot that hit nothing but net despite a challenge from NLEX forward KG Canaleta.
The Road Warriors ran out of time in a desperate bid to force overtime, and the Carnival whooped it up, celebrating a follow-up win on their 105-98 drubbing of the Barangay Ginebra Kings last Wednesday.
The Carnival stole the victory minus playing coach Manny Pacquiao who was attending an important hearing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law in Congress.
It was the Carnival’s first-ever win over NLEX with the Road Warriors absorbing their third loss against a lone win in the seasonending tourney. Kia dropped previous matches against NLEX in the first two conferences.
“Right now, the players’ confidence is very high, and our chemistry is improving every game,” said Kia assistant coach Chito Victolero.
“Hyram has a good look at the basket and he knocks it in,” said Victolero on the winning triple of Bagatsing, an undrafted player acquired by the expansion ball club from the free agent market.
Later in the night, Talk n Text stayed abreast with Kia at 2-1 as the Tropang Texters outlasted the erstwhile unbeaten Alaska Milk Aces in a gripping duel, squeezing out a 104-103 win.
TNT import Steffphon Pettigrew piled up game-highs 27 points and 16 rebounds and the returning Ranidel de Ocampo came up with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Romeo Travis had his own double-double game with 26 points and 10 rebounds but missed five of his last six field attempts, including a make-or-break shot at the buzzer as Alaska absorbed its first loss in four games and dropped to joint second with Globalport, leaving Barako Bull the lone unbeaten team with a 3-0 mark.
Bagatsing also hit a trey shortly before the buzzer as the Carnival chopped the Road Warriors lead to 14 points, 36-50, at the half.
That shot somehow provided Kia some momentum, with the Carnival hitting good rhythm in the third quarter and roaring ahead, 6361, going into the payoff period.
In a big turnaround, the Carnival led by as many as nine, 82-73, in the fourth quarter before fending off NLEX’s own fightback at the finish.
The Carnival dealt the Road Warriors crucial beating from the outside with Bagatsing, Chang, Revilla, Hans Thiele, Jason Deutchman, Mark Yee and Jonathan Pareno combining for 12 threepointers as against NLEX’s six.