LED BY MITCHELL’S 48, TALK ‘N TEXT SURVIVES BARAKO BULL IN OT
TALK ‘N Text proved it has one big presence to make up for a lot of absences.
Tony Mitchell scored 48 points and led the undermanned Tropang Texters to a 118-113 overtime victory over Barako Bull Friday in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Sean Anthony and Ryan Reyes provided chief support and Talk ‘N Text head coach Norman Black was simply glad his team came out on top despite Gilas Pilipinas heroes Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel de Ocampo, Jayson Castro and Larry Fonacier, plus the injured Harvey Carey, sitting it out.
“This is totally unexpected because we’re missing a lot of key players and Barako Bull is a tough team,” said Black.
“I give credit to my remaining players,” he added. “We have a good import in Tony Mitchell but we have to support him until the four (Gilas players) come back. They’ll be missing at least three to four games.”
Anthony scored a personal season-high 23 points, anchored on five triples, on his first game against his former team and Reyes added 19 and the two also helped in containing Barako Bull import Mike Singletary in the stretches that mattered most.
Singletary wound up with 41 points, including a runner off a coast-to-coast charge that tied the game up at 101 and eventually forced the extension. But he scored only a total nine points in the fourth period and none in OT as he was hobbled by cramps on both legs.
Mitchell’s 48 was the highest scoring game the league has seen since Meralco import Eric Dawson notched 50 in the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup last April when the Bolts beat Rain or Shine also in OT 118-116 and, ironically, it was Singletary who seemed well on his way to eclipsing that after dropping 26 right in the first half.
But Singletary started to fade just when Mitchell steadily gathered steam.
The NBA D-League’s Rookie of the Year in the season just past scored the first basket of the extra period and went on to scatter six more, with his drive and charity making it a 114-94 count, only 48.5 seconds left.
A barrage of triples from Emman Monfort, Mark Macapagal and Ronjay Buenafe trimmed the deficit to 113-116. But by then there were only 13 seconds left and Jai Reyes, signed up to help fill the TNT gaps, made good on two freebies just three seconds later to seal scoring.
Singletary’s woes were highlighted the most when he abruptly sat down on the floor when his right leg cramped up, drawing a delay of game technical which Jai Reyes converted into a free throw for a 100-99 count, 23 seconds left in regulation. The former Saigon Heat guard added another charity almost three seconds later to make it a two-point game.
The TNT celebrations right there were put on hold, however, by Singletary’s unexpected surge that tied it up and Monfort almost won it for the Energy with a steal and heave from TNT’s frontcourt that almost went in at the buzzer.
Mitchell added 11 rebounds with Anthony hauling down eight to go with five steals.
Singletary collared a game-high 21 boards but the Energy still lost out, 49-59, in the rebounding department and gave up 23 points off their 23 turnovers.
All those started spelling Barako Bull’s doom, notwithstanding an early control of the game that saw it erect as much as a 70-54 lead in the third quarter. (NC)
The scores:
Talk ‘N Text 118 – Mitchell 48, Anthony 23, Reyes R. 19, Reyes J. 11, Al-Hussaini 8, Aban 7, Peek 2, Raymundo 0, Aquino 0, Alvarez 0, Ferriols 0.
Barako 113 – Singletary 41, Macapagal 24, Pennisi 13, Intal 12, Monfort 9, Marcelo 4, Seigle 4, Jensen 3, Buenafe 3, Bulawan 0, Weinstein 0, Cruz 0.
Quarters: 26-31, 53-62, 81-80, 101-101, 118-113
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