TNT overcomes Blackwater by 38 points

FILE: “Final: 127 – 89 in favor of the TNT KaTropa! Best Player: RR Pogoy with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists #PBALabanKungLaban” (Photo: PBA/Facebook)

Returning from his stint at Gilas Pilipinas and just getting over the flu, Roger Pogoy made his mark with a total of 28 points – 12 of those in the fourth quarter. Jericho Cruz also contributed 11 points in the last quarter alone, scoring 20 points overall in the game. KaTropa’s Troy Rosario and Ryan Reyes were two other players who provided double digits, adding 17 points and 14 points respectively. For the Elite, it was Digregorio and Allein Maliksi who still fought with a fighting chance, giving Blackwater 20 points and 13 points respectively.

TNT head coach Bong Ravena was very outspoken about how proud he was of Pogoy, stating in Filipino, “He just recovered from being sick, but he came out strong and ready to play,” referring to Pogoy missing the team’s most previous win against Rain or Shine last week. He elaborated on the game, explaining, “We’re happy for the win but, first half, especially in the second [quarter] we were not happy because [the team] scored (only) 34 points. So during the halftime, we told them na (that) we have to stay in control especially on defense and lock in on defense,” adding, “I’m glad they were able to pull it through. That’s the only story, It’s still defense. We had to make stops.” When talking about the standing entering the quarterfinals, Coach Bong also shared, “I think we have a chance, if ever we still get three wins. We still have a chance at the top two.”

TnT’s next game is on Friday, March 22 at Ynares Center, facing the Columbian Dyip, while Blackwater will try to conquer the NLEX Road Warriors on Sunday, March 17 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.