Antonio Hester made sure that he leaves Zamboanga MLV with a win.
Behind his herculean effort, the Valientes escaped a furious Bangkok rally, taking an 84-80 win in the 2023 ABL Invitaitonal Tournament, Monday at MABA Stadium.
Hester, who will leave Malaysia on Tuesday to join Magnolia, dropped 36 points on 16-of-25 shooting from the field with 13 rebounds.
And he will leave the Valientes with an even 5-5 record — good for fifth place in the league.
The Valientes led by as much as 18 points and 60-49 heading into the final frame.
The Tigers trio of Angustus Stone, William Vedder Freeman, and Natthaphat Biasumrit slowly chipped into the lead, eventually cutting the lead down to 80-77 with 36 ticks left.
Though Mario Chalmers converted on three free throws in the next possession, Vedder Freeman answered right back with a three of his own to keep Bangkok in the game with 10 seconds left.
James Kwekuteye split his charities in the end game while Kittitep Dasom missed his attempt to close out the game.
Coming off a 19-point game against Macau, Mario Chalmers cooled down but still finished with 11 points, four assists, and four steals. Mohamed Sesay added 10 points and five rebounds.
Vedder Freeman led Bangkok — who fell to 1-10 — with 23 points and 18 rebounds. Stone and Biasumrit added 22 and 18 points, respectively.
Zamboanga will face Hong Kong (7-3) on Tuesday to close out the KL circuit of the league.
