Baser Amer hopes for Blackwater to become accustomed to winning following the ball club’s improvement to .500 in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The Bossing chalked up their second win in four outings on Wednesday and did it in stunning fashion. They pulled the rug underneath the debuting San Miguel on the way to a 109-106 victory at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Yun ‘yung inaano ko rito sa team, ‘yung culture na nananalo,” the seasoned floor general told Tiebreaker Times after the match.
Building a winning culture has been the theme for Blackwater in this mid-season conference, especially since its acquisition of Troy Rosario and Gab Banal via trade with the storied TNT franchise prior to the tournament.
Amer is definitely part of that growth the team aspires to achieve. He previously played a major role in Meralco’s rise to contenders in his first six years as a pro.
The San Beda great typified the mentality he wants to help instill in the Bossing against the Beermen. He nailed the booming triple plus the foul against no less than Chris Ross, to give his side the 107-106 lead with 32.8 ticks to go.
Mike Ayonayon then stretched the lead to three following a lay-up off his own interception of CJ Perez’s kick out. That proved the beginning of the end for SMB since it could not find the mark in an attempt to tie the game.
Amer himself caught Diamond Stone’s miss as time expired, and threw it up in jubilation. His crew also ended an eight-game losing skid against the only five-peat Philippine Cup winners that dates back to the 2019 season.
“Sabi ko lang sa sarili ko, ‘pag napunta ‘yung bola sa’kin, hindi na ako maghe-hesitate,” said the 30-year-old, who finished with 16 points on three treys. “Dito naman sa team, malaki ‘yung tiwala ng mga teammates ko sa akin.”
It was an inspired performance overall from Blackwater, who was out for redemption from the disappointing 105-102 defeat it suffered at the hands of NLEX last week. There, the Bossing blew a 16-point third-quarter lead.
“Coming into this game kasi, ni-remind kami ni Coach Ariel [Vanguardia] na kailangan namin mag-bounce back. Especially, galing kami sa masakit na talo – dapat 3-1 na kami e. Buti kanina, nanalo,” said Amer.
“Talagang tyinaga lang namin e. Kami naghahabol, tapos lumamang kami the last minute. Naka-shoot ako ng crucial, so, thankful ako na pumasok.”
Now, Amer would want to see his squad become consistent in racking up wins. And, hopefully, they catch another big fish like what they did Wednesday.
“I’m with San Beda before, nag-Meralco ako, lagi kami nananalo. ‘Yun ‘yung binubuo namin sa Blackwater, na sana makasanayan namin na nananalo kami,” said the seventh overall pick of the 2015 PBA Draft.
“Hindi naman kami gumive up kanina. Maganda standing namin, 2-2. Hopefully sa mga next game, makabingwit ulit ng malaking isda.”
