BLACKWATER added Meralco to its list of victims as the team sustained its giant-killing ways last night.
Baser Amer haunted the Bolts, his former squad, by scoring on a gutsy drive with 1.7 seconds left, lifting the Bossing to a 90-89 escape and their third straight win for a share of second in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Chris Newsome’s desperation heave was nowhere near the rim at the buzzer as Blackwater landed another big fish in Meralco, a perennial contender.
Heroes came aplenty for the Bossing, led by veteran playmaker Jvee Casio who scattered 19 points, to go with four rebounds and six assists, while hardworking rookie big man Ato Ular wound up with 19 markers and 15 boards.
Rey Suerte and Rashawn McCarthy also had 15 and 12 points, respectively, while top rookie pick Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser tallied eight markers in his debut for Blackwater after recovering from a finger injury.
Amer had six points for the Bossing, who came off a 107-70 beat down of Terrafirma six days ago and rose to 4-1 in a tie with Ginebra.
The Bolts absorbed their second straight loss, counting a 75-90 setback at the hands of NLEX last Saturday and slipped to 3-3.
Blackwater coach Ariel Vanguardia heaped praises on his charges for proving they have what it takes.
“I don’t want to take the credit away from the boys. Meralco is a semifinals and finals team that we faced head on. They (Bolts) led in the beginning, we caught up, we led twice by double-digits, they’re very disciplined and they’re very hard to stop,” Vanguardia said.
“It came down to the last possession and believe me, I told Baser (Amer) before the game that ‘Baser, this would be your game. Tatalunin mo iyong dati mong team and he delivered,” he added.
The Bossing trailed 43-46 at the half but went on an 11-0 blitz capped by a Ganuelas-Rosser layup that gave them a 67-56 lead at the 4:24 mark of the third quarter.
Meralco trimmed the deficit to 69-70 heading into the final stanza.
Blackwater reestablished an 83-73 spread on Ular’s three free throws with 5:28 remaining in the fourth before the Bolts made it a down-the-wire duel.
A Casio triple pushed the Bossing ahead 88-87 with 14.1 to go before a Newsome jumper gave Meralco its last upper hand 89-88, only 6.5 ticks left.
Newsome carried the fight for the Bolts with a game-high 23 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Bong Quinto added 18 markers.
Chris Banchero and Raymond Almazan also contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively.
