“Tsamba lang.”
These two words were the exact description that Blackwater’s Raymond Aguilar used for his best offensive outing to date as a pro that took place Friday night.
The six-foot-five big man and the Elite faced league leaders San Miguel Beermen at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, in which they received a huge 25-point beating, 118-93.
Despite the lopsided loss, Aguilar gave Blackwater something to be positive about. The 32-year-old scored 15 markers (7.4 points above his norms) on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, with three of those field goals coming from beyond the arc.
The former PBA D-League veteran’s performance against SMB was truly remarkable, particularly since it has been a year since he posted similar numbers during his stint in the D-League with the UP-QRS/Jam Liner Fighting Maroons.
This outing of Aguilar might have given Blackwater another viable option aside from main scorers Mac Belo and Art Dela Cruz. With his face-up type of play and his ability to stretch the floor, Aguilar has proven that he can provide spark on offense.
But for the seasoned journeyman, he was just lucky that such performance from him happened.
“Na-tsambahan lang,” said Aguilar moments after the match. “Sloppy talaga yung umpisa eh. Pagpasok ko, ang lamig. Tapos may June Mar [Fajardo] pa, ang bigat.”
“Buti nakabawi nung second half,” said Aguilar, who was instrumental in cutting San Miguel’s lead from 29 points down to just 11, 101-90, with 4:23 left in the game.
The recent defeat sends Blackwater to a two-game skid and to an even 4-4 slate in the team standings. And in this crucial stage of the conference, all that Aguilar hopes is to still be able to make it into the playoffs.
“Sana maka-dalawa or isa para makapasok kami,” the 30-year-old said wistfully.
