Alapag saves the day for TNT
In Game 4 of the Petron Blaze-Talk 'N Text semifinal series, the Blaze Boosters turned to their two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso to fashion out a close 85-82 win that gave them a 3-1 series edge. In Game 5 last night, it was the Tropang Texters' turn to call on their resident and reigning league MVP to bail them out and stave off elimination.
Jimmy Alapag, last season's MVP who has struggled so far in the semifinals, hit a huge triple with 44 seconds left to lift the Tropa to a 93-91 win that cut the Blaze Boosters' lead to 3-2, and breathed life into the defending champions' sagging title retention campaign.
Prior to last night's win, TNT had lost three straight by a combined seven points as they just couldn't come up with the big shots or defensive stops. Game 5 looked headed down that road again as the Tropa blew an eight-point lead late in the game and the Blaze Boosters once again came charging back with huge three-point shots from Arwind Santos and Danny Ildefonso.
After Ali Peek split his free throws to make in 89-85 with only 2:15 left, Santos let loose a high-arching three from top of the key that swished through the net and brought Petron to within one. In the ensuing play, Peek was fouled and again he made just one of two free throws with 1:47 left to give TNT a precarious 90-88 lead.
Alex Cabagnot then drove down the lane and swung the ball back to Ildefonso, who buried a triple that gave Petron back the lead at 91-90, time down to 1:41. It was the first three-point shot Ildefonso made this season.
Things weren't looking good for TNT after Larry Fonacier muffed an 18-footer and Petron gathered the rebound. But Cabagnot, who was in the midst of a horrendous 2-for-15 shooting night, missed a hurried jumper trying to beat the shot clock.
The Tropa set up Jayson Castro, who did what he does best, beating his man off the dribble and attacking the paint. Chris Lutz, who fired a career-high 27 points, came over to help, in the process leaving Alapag wide open at the left corner. The ace point guard was having another poor offensive night, with only two points up to that point. But there was no hesitation in his release, and the ball found its mark to peg the score at 93-91 with only 44 seconds left.
Cabagnot capped his poor shooting performance by missing a wide-open jumper with 35 seconds left, giving TNT a chance to put the game away. But Alapag almost went from hero to goat by inexplicably missing an easy lay-up with only 11 ticks left.
"Can you imagine Jimmy missing that layup?" Chot Reyes said afterwards. "You can't get a better shot than that."
The miss afforded Petron one last chance to force overtime, but Arwind Santos went for the win and missed badly on a challenged three-point attempt. Ildefonso gathered the air ball, but Castro slapped the ball away to preserve the win.
Later, Ato Agustin admitted Santos went against his instructions during the timeout.
"Lapses namin talaga," he said. "Instruction ko talaga atake, go for the tie. Sabi ko just attack them."
For Reyes, it was a relief to finally be on the winning end of a close game against their bitter rivals.
"We hung in there," said Reyes, whose team was down by as many as 12 points in the first period. "They started with a lot of confidence. I gotta give it to the guys. They battled it out."
The Blaze Boosters were still ahead by 11 at 41-30 with 5:50 left in the second period after Lutz hit a triple. But Fonacier teamed with Jared Dillinger and Japeth Aguilar to cut the lead to just five, 49-44 at the half. The Tropa continued chipping away at the lead as the Blaze Boosters's offense sputtered in the third, finally inching ahead at 61-60 on a basket by Ranidel De Ocampo with 4:32 left.
Castro's two free throws with 8:46 left gave the Tropa their largest lead of the game at 82-74 with 8:46 left. TNT was still ahead 86-80 when Lordy Tugade, who gave the Blaze Boosters a big lift off the bench, hit a triple that cut the lead by half. Lutz then followed with an insane crossover move past Fonacier that brought Petron to within 86-85.
Tugade would go on to finish with 11 points in 16 minutes, and his stellar play kept Joseph Yeo on the bench for almost the entire second half. TNT also switched to a zone, the first time they had done so in the series, and this basically limited Yeo's effectiveness on offense since he is most dangerous attacking the basket or posting up smaller guards.
Happy to stave off elimination, Reyes said they were taking things one game at a time.
"We have to continue finding ways," he said. "Sabi nga nila, habang may buhay, may pag-asa. All we wanted tonight was to play again on Sunday. So we got it. Now we'll see. It's a battle of two teams with great pride. It's just really the one who wants it more and the one that gets the breaks in the end comes out on top. It's one shot every game in this series. That's how close this series is."
Agustin noted the big disparity in free throw attempts in the fourth period (13-3), but also admitted his team simply missed too many shots.
"At least lamang pa naman kami," he said. "Tignan namin kung anong makikita namin sa clips. Na-miss namin easy shots and open shots. Dapat hindi na namin isipin na lamang kami. May kaunting relax kami."
Game 6 is tomorrow, and the Tropa will enter the game down another man after Kelly Williams aggravated a hamstring injury in the third period and had to leave the game for good. Reyes fears his big man might be lost for the remainder of the series.
"In practice he made a drive and he heard his hamstring pop," Reyes revealed. "He was playing at 50%, 60% in this series." TNT has already lost swingman Ryan Reyes, who tore ligaments in his right wrist in Game 4.
It was an unlucky 14th for Petron as last night marked the first time in franchise history that the team lost on a Friday the 13th. Prior to last night, the franchise had gone 13-0 on Friday the 13th games. Meanwhile, TNT is now 5-4 in such games.
E-mail: sid_ventura@yahoo.com.