The Star Hotshots were hard-pressed to break out of their two-game slump on Saturday, but the Blackwater Elite gallantly stood in their way and gave them a run for their money.
But the Elite’s inexperience in closing out games struck them hard again, paving the way for the hungry Hotshots to complete the come-from-behind, 96-90 victory and finally end their skid at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“I’m very happy especially on our defense,” regarded Star head coach Chito Victolero in the win, which improves their record to 5-2. “We reviewed our games and I showed them kung ano yung difference sa mga panalo namin at sa mga talo namin.
“It was all our defense,” he added.
Star displayed a balanced attack en route to the win, with import Tony Mitchell leading the pack with 17 points on 66 percent shooting along with 15 rebounds. However, he was fouled out yet again in the game’s waning seconds.
Trailing most of the time in the game, the Hotshots found their rhythm back in the final period, exploding for a furious 16-2 scoring spree ended by a Tony Mitchell slam to post a wide, 81-72 advantage with 6:54 remaining.
The Elite managed to trim the deficit and closed within six, 87-81, after a Greg Smith three-point play, but back-to-back lay-ups by Rafi Reavis proved to be the final blow as it lifted the Hotshots up 10, 91-81, with 2:09 left to play.
“Maganda laro namin and kailangan namin manalo kasi we have a two-week break dahil sa All-Star. Maganda position namin,” said Victolero.
Paul Lee provided 15 points, five boards, and five assists for Star, while Jio Jalalon added 13 on 12 shots and two steals. Returning guard Justin Melton and Allein Maliksi each chipped in 10 markers.
Not only did Blackwater suffer their second straight defeat that dragged them to 1-6, but the loss also put in vain the vintage performance of KG Cañaleta, who scored 27 markers — 16 in the opening frame — to lead the Elite.
Greg Smith gave ample support to Cañaleta with 22 points and a game-high 29 rebounds in 43 minutes of action, while Mike DiGregorio supplied 11 markers despite going 3-of-12 from the floor.
Clearly, Star’s defense made it a rough game for Blackwater, limiting the latter to just a horrid 37 percent shooting clip. They also capitalized on Blackwater’s 17 turnovers by converting it to 13 points.
The Hotshots’ bench played a vital role against the Elite, contributing 53 points to their total output — a far cry from the latter’s 18 bench points. Star also ran the floor better, scoring 17 points off fast breaks.
Star will look to spark a streak anew as they battle TNT on May 10, Wednesday, 7:00 PM still at the same venue. Blackwater, meanwhile, will try to halt their slump versus NLEX on May 3, Wednesday, 4:15 PM at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
Star (96) – Mitchell 17, Lee 15, Jalalon 13, Melton 10, Maliksi 10, Sangalang 9, Barroca 9, Reavis 6, Dela Rosa 4, Simon 3, Javier 0, Brondial 0.
Blackwater (90) – Canaleta 27, Smith 22, DiGregorio 11, Pascual 8, Sena 8, Cruz 6, Pinto 4, Gamalinda 2, Cervantes 2, Buenafe 0.
Quarterscores: 21-23, 48-42, 65-70, 96-90.
