IT’S hard to believe that veteran playmaker Jayson Castro of defending champion TNT is already 38 years old.
Castro forced a steal on Meralco import Allen Durham’s pass to Chris Banchero, hustled hard to save the ball on the baseline, and finished a crucial fastbreak attack that stymied their foes’ late game comeback try last night.
The Tropang Giga subdued the gritty Bolts 108-99 for their fourth straight win and gained a quarterfinals slot in Group A of the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Castro’s twisting layup pushed TNT’s lead to 104-97 before a Calvin Oftana corner jumper practically sealed the deal with 50.0 ticks remaining for the Tropang Giga, who nearly squandered an early 14-point lead.
Action shifts to the Smart Araneta Coliseum as San Miguel Beer tries to extend its winning run to three when it tackles winless Phoenix today while Ginebra seeks to avenge a first-round loss to Rain or Shine, both in Group B.
Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes said his charges simply showed fortitude amid Meralco’s lighting strike.
“When they (Bolts) cut it down to three points, we called a timeout, it was a very calm huddle. We knew that they would come back. We had no pretensions, illusions that it would be easy by any means,” Reyes said. “We just reminded everyone during the timeout that they’re making a run.
“Let’s focus and just get what we need to do. Let’s make sure we will do what needs to be done. That’s all. In the end, the players took it upon themselves to make the necessary stops,” he added.
Oftana sizzled with 25 points, seven rebounds, and three assists for while reigning best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson backed him up with a near double-double of 22 markers and nine boards.
Kim Aurin added 16 and four while Castro and JP Erram had 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Tropang Giga.
TNT’s fitting follow-up to a 98-91 victory over Converge last Sunday stoked the Tropang Giga’s mark to 6-1 and also served as a repeat of a 93-73 shellacking of the Bolts when they first met last Aug. 22.
Meralco, armed with an 82-74 triumph over Magnolia in Panabo City six nights back, saw its four-game winning streak come to a screeching halt for a 5-2 record.
TNT raced to a 34-20 edge on a Hollis-Jefferson bucket at the 11:21 mark of the second quarter before settling for a 49-44 advantage at the break.
Reyes’ team was still in front 78-67 going into the final stanza before the Bolts pulled to within 89-92 on a Chris Newsome two-pointer, still 6:02 to go.
Durham scored 26 points and grabbed 11 caroms while Newsome added 23 and four.
Bong Quinto, rookie CJ Cansino, and Chris Banchero got 12, 12, and 10 markers, respectively, for the Bolts.
With the Last Eight battle looming, the Tropag Giga are looking good in their bid to reach the Promised Land anew.
