Poy Erram came up clutch in the dying seconds to help the Blackwater Elite stun powerhouse squad San Miguel Beermen, 103-100, to earn their second straight win in the 2018 Governors’ Cup, Wednesday at SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The 6-foot-7 slotman drained two pressure-packed free throws with 19.8 seconds left to play to ward off the Beermen’s hijack attempt, where they knocked within a point with 34 seconds left after being down by six.
Erram, who has recently been offered a max deal by the Elite’s brass, finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
“To God be the glory! Nakadepensa kami ng maayos. That’s the gameplan. If we can play defense, if we can stay close, we can salvage an upset,” said a proud Blackwater head coach Bong Ramos. “Sana magtuloy-tuloy kami.”
Import Henry Walker was superb as he produced 35 points and 17 rebounds in the victory. Mike DiGregorio had 21 points, while point guard Nard Pinto was all over the place with 15 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
The Elite already had a six-point cushion, 101-95, with 2:33 left in the fourth quarter, but the Beermen still gave a major scare as they knocked within a point, 100-101, after Marcio Lassiter’s triple with 34.6 ticks to go.
Erram then showcased his heroics after that. He calmly sank his free throws that came off Christian Standhardinger’s defensive foul underneath the rim to widen Blackwater’s lead to three, 103-100, with 19.8 seconds left.
San Miguel had all the time to tie the match, but three-point attempts by Arizona Reid and Arwind Santos missed.
“Akala ko nga na iiwanan na kami kanina eh. Good thing lang na yung character ng team was still there,” said Ramos, who is now in his second conference with Blackwater. “Yung bini-build namin na character ng team, nagkakaroon na.”
Reid had 26 points and 20 rebounds to lead San Miguel, who has now lost to Blackwater for the second conference this season. Standhardinger supplied 20 points, while Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot had 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Both teams will return on September 21, Friday, still at the Big Dome. San Miguel will face the still-winless Columbian Dyip at 4:30 PM, while Blackwater will take on defending champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 7:00 PM.
The Scores:
Blackwater 103 – Walker 35, Digregorio 21, Pinto 15, Erram 10, Zamar 8, Maliksi 6, Jose 4, Belo 2, Al-Hussani 2, Cortez 0, Sumang 0.
San Miguel 100 – Reid 26, Standhardinger 20, Lassiter 13, Cabagnot 12, Nabong 12, Heruela 7, Ross 6, Santos 4.
Quarterscores: 27-25, 43-46, 74-82, 103-100.
