It may just be an All-Star affair, but the PBA Mindanao All Stars and Chooks Gilas Pilipinas kicked off the first leg of the 2017 PBA All-Star Week on a very memorable note.
With both sides showing their own brand of basketball and not wanting to give up, the Nationals and the All Stars settled for a nail-biting 114-114 draw in front of a jam-packed Xavier University Gym in Cagayan De Oro City on Wednesday night.
Two Most Valuable Players were named as the game yielded a tie. Troy Rosario, who is part of the Gilas pool, was Mindanao’s MVP with a game-high 28 points on 16 shots, while Matthew Wright was Chooks Gilas’ best player with 22 points on 80 percent shooting.
Ending the game’s first 24 minutes lagging by four, 59-55, Chooks Gilas found their groove in the third canto by unfurling a fiery 15-5 scoring spree ended by a Carl Cruz triple to establish the game’s first double-digit lead, 91-79, with 1:53 to go.
The All Stars made it a ballgame once more come the final stretch. With Rosario and Mark Barroca conspiring on offense, what was once a 103-95 deficit was cut down to one, 110-109, after a Rosario jumper with 2:22 left to play.
The PBA cagers played stifling defense in the next sequences, highlighted by Mo Tautuaa’s two straight blocks on June Mar Fajardo. The 6-foot-9 SMB center also served as Gilas’ anchor, as two lay-ups of his lifted them up, 114-111.
But the 5-foot-10 Barroca, he himself a pioneering Gilas member and a native of Zamboanga City, played the villain’s role and shocked their counterparts. His three-pointer from the top of the key with 49.3 seconds left tied things up at 114-all.
Gilas then tried to win the match, but their jumpers and near-the-basket tries just would not fall. And the same went for the All Stars, as Barroca’s game-winning attempt missed its target, paving the way for a locked finish.
Three more All Stars scored in double figures to support Rosario. Cotabato-native Peter June Simon, the 2008 All Star Game MVP, supplied 14 markers. Barroca produced 13, while first-timer Baser Amer of Davao City had a decent debut with 10 points.
The 12-man Gilas side, on the other hand, received lots of offensive contributions. Guard Terrence Romeo sparked with 18 points, six rebounds, and eight assists for an all-around display of brilliance.
Fajardo imposed his will inside the paint, scoring 16 points and hauling down 15 rebounds. But aside from him, fellow Cebuano and rookie Roger Pogoy also earned a double-double of his own, with 15 markers and 13 boards.
Carl Cruz had 11 points spiked by four treys, while guards LA Revilla and Mike Tolomia of Zamboanga City each supplied 10 to round up the scorers for Gilas in their first-ever competitive bout together.
In a game that saw 13 deadlocks all throughout, both squads shot an identical 45 percent from the floor. Gilas though won the battle of the boards, 67-52, but Mindanao’s bench played more stellar by chipping in 71 points to their total.
The Nationals will take on the Leo Austria-mentored Luzon All-Stars next on Friday, April 28, 7:00 PM at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena, Quezon.
The Scores:
Chooks Gilas (114) – Wright 22, Romeo 18, Fajardo 16, Pogoy 14, Cruz 11, Revilla 10, Tolomia 10, Ferrer 7, Gotladera 2, Guinto 2, Torres 2, Pessumal 0.
PBA Mindanao (114) – Rosario 28, Simon 14, Barroca 13, Amer 10, Lastimosa 9, Baguio 8, Tautuaa 8, Jalalon 6, Khobuntin 6, Reavis 5, Thoss 4, Thompson 3.
Quarterscores: 24-24, 55-59, 93-86, 114-114
