Mark Barroca was the steady presence Magnolia needed to hold off Meralco, 81-69, for a commanding 3-1 lead in the 2021 Honda PBA Philippine Cup semifinals, Sunday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor.
The veteran playmaker drilled a three-pointer from the right wing with 2:11 left to play, which doused cold water to a fiery Bolts uprising that saw them melt down a 21-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to just five.
Barroca finished with 17 points and six assists as the ball club moved on the verge of its third all-Filipino finals trip in four seasons.
“We stayed composed on our last possession, and then Mark hit the three. So that’s it. We weathered the storm,” said coach Chito Victolero, who’s nearing his fourth trip to the Big Dance with the team he;s been handling since 2016.
Ian Sangalang supplied 17 points and 11 rebounds. Calvin Abueva also finished with 17 points and 12 boards, while Jio Jalalon chimed in 10 markers, four boards, and four dimes on a night Paul Lee was far from his usual self.
Magnolia’s top scorer back in Game Three two days ago with 18 points, Lee only produced half of that on 2-of-11 shooting from the field.
The former BPC, though, was the one who gave his side a comfortable 71-50 advantage with 9:16 remaining in the game. But what was expected to be a cruise en route to the win turned out otherwise for the Hotshots.
Reynel Hugnatan, Cliff Hodge, and Chris Newsome buckled down to work, joining hands for a 19-3 blast — ended by the 42-year-old’s triple — to put Meralco within striking distance, 69-74, with 2:37 to go.
But then, Barroca was there with his cold-blooded triple. Rafi Reavis and Sangalang went on to widen the gap further with their free throws.
The Bolts could no longer muster a comeback. Barroca then settled the final count with his shots from the stripe with 20 seconds left.
“We expected the run eh. We expected the run. Hindi lang namin alam kung anong part nung game. But we have to weather that storm. ‘Yun lang ang sinabi ko sa mga bata, na we need to stay composed,” Victolero said.
“And I think, ‘yung talagang multiple effort, ‘yun yung susi doon eh, from start to finish, ‘yun yung ginawa talaga namin. That’s the key factor – our multiple efforts on both ends of the floor,” added the champion mentor.
Hugnatan, meanwhile, finished with 21 points and nine rebounds to lead Meralco, who was still without lead big man Raymond Almazan, Aaron Black, Trevis Jackson, and Jammer Jamito.
Hodge added 13 points, while Newsome was the only other double-digit scorer with 11 points, on top of eight assists and seven boards.
The Scores:
Magnolia 81 – Sangalang 17, Abueva 17, Barroca 17, Jalalon 10, Lee 9, Ahanmisi 5, Dionisio 4, Corpuz 1, Reavis 1, Dela Rosa 0.
Meralco 69 – Hugnatan 21, Hodge 13, Newsome 11, Quinto 7, Pinto 6, Belo 3, Baclao 3, Pasaol 3, Maliksi 2, Caram 0.
Quarterscores: 23-18, 46-35, 68-50, 81-69.
