GLOBALPORT MAKES IT 3 STRAIGHT
Picking their spots.
That is what enigmatic scoring guards Sol Mercado and Terrence Romeo did for GlobalPort in the first half of their game against Alaska.
Romeo seemed like he was ready for a duel with JVee Casio in the first quarter, as the rookie fired 13 while the former Gilas mainstay had 10. But in the second quarter, it was Mercado’s turn to shoot the lights out as he torched the Aces for 16 points in the period. There was no answer from the Aces camp, which enabled the Batang Pier to control the game from that point on.
Behind the two scoring dynamos, GlobalPort downed Alaska, 94-84, for their third consecutive win, the first-ever win streak in franchise history, in the 2014 PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
“We were able to play good defense in the first half and were able to sustain it in the second half,” said Batang Pier head coach Ritchie Ticzon. “They (Alaska) came in as close as eight, but the (GlobalPort) players responded very well by playing good defense and it’s also good for us that we hit big shots. They executed well down the stretch.”
The 28-point second quarter blast enabled the Batang Pier to steam ahead 55-35 at the half, and ballooned the lead by as much as 21.
Casio, Gabby Espinas, and RJ Jazul slowly chipped down the lead and got it to as low as eight with 20.2 seconds remaining. But it was too late of a run for the Aces, as Romeo delivered the final nail in the coffin of Alaska with two free throws in the endgame.
Mercado, picking up from his Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week performance last week, finished with 26 points to go with his five rebounds, and four assists, while Romeo had 21 markers and six boards.
With the win, GlobalPort’s collection of young guns and veterans showed how much of a potential they have as a unit, as they are still slowly feeling their way with each other.
“Yung jelling namin – it’s just a matter of time. Hinihintay lang naming makapag-jell yung team, magsama-sama ng mas matagal,” Ticzon said.
“For me, camaraderie and jelling needs time. And we’ve been together for a month and a half, and I think nakikita na. Everybody knows how everybody else plays. They know each other more than when we started. Very crucial para sa amin yun.”
Jay Washington almost netted a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, while RR Garcia’s 3-of-4 shooting night from beyond the arc gave him most of his 13 markers for the game. Tough-as-nails forward Mark Yee also chipped in 10 points in the win.
“We won’t even look at the record. What we want for them is to play as hard as possible, give their 100 percent effort every game. As Sol said, ‘We don’t care about the wins and the losses. What we care about is being together.’ We’ll keep on working very hard and the wins will just come,” Ticzon said.
GlobalPort now sits at 4-3, while Alaska plummets further down the standings with a 2-4 card.
Ticzon added, “Basta kami, we just take it one game at a time. We don’t care about the streak. We just play together every time.”
Casio led the Aces with a pro career-best 28 points, while Sonny Thoss, despite foul trouble, tallied 13 points and seven rebounds. Jazul chipped in 10.
Calvin Abueva missed the game for Alaska after incurring a sprain in one of Alaska’s practices prior to the game. (RL)
The scores:
GLOBALPORT 94 – Mercado 26, Romeo 21, Washington 13, Garcia 13, Yee 10, Chua 3, Hayes 3, Lingganay 2, Nabong 2, Menk 1, Salva 0, Salvador 0.
ALASKA 84 – Casio 28, Thoss 13, Jazul 10, Espinas 9, Baguio 8, Ramos 7, Exciminano 6, Buenafe 3, Belasco 0, Dela Cruz 0, Hontiveros 0, Eman 0.
Quarterscores: 27-20, 55-35, 77-58, 94-84.
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