TNT Katropa churned in a come-from-behind win at the expense of the Never Say Die team
Ranidel de Ocampo took charge late as the TNT Katropa fought back to take a 108-103 win over the Barangay Ginebra Gin King to cap Sunday’s double-header at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Grizzled veteran Ranidel de Ocampo led TNT’s comeback with 22 points including four three-pointers and seven rebounds. And most of his points came when the Katropa badly needed it.
“Even when Jayson [Castro] is there, Ranidel is our leader. I called a lot of plays for him and he delivered,” said lead assistant coach Josh Reyes. “He’s just somebody we really trust in those kinds of situations.”
Down 95-81 with 7:27 remaining, De Ocampo sparked a furious 11-0 rally to go within three points. Baskets by Mark Caguioa and Japeth Aguilar tried to cool RDO and the Katropa down but De Ocampo was not to be denied.
The Gilas standout scored the next seven points of TNT, including a tough three-point play to knot things up at 99-all with 2:35 left. A clutch triple by Scottie Thompson was then answered right back by De Ocampo.
A split on the stripe by Aguilar gave Ginebra a one-point edge but a quick basket by Kelly Williams off a timeout gave TNT the lead for good. Misses by LA Tenorio and Joe Devance led to free throws for rookie Roger Pogoy and Larry Fonacier respectively to seal the game for TNT.
“It feels good to finally get a win,” Reyes added. “This is still coach Nash [Racela]’s team.”
Pogoy and Fonacier scored 15 points apiece while Troy Rosario filled-up the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a block before fouling out.
TNT knocked down 11 of its 28 three-point attempts. Ginebra, on the other hand, missed a chunk of its free throws, going 22-of-37 from the stripe.
Tenorio paced Ginebra with 27 points and six dimes. Japeth Aguilar and Joe Devance added 15 points each.
The TNT Katropa (1-1) look to build a winning streak as they face the surging Blackwater Elite (2-0) on Friday, December 2. Ginebra, on the other hand, will have a full week to recover before taking on the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Sunday, December 4.
The Scores:
TNT (108) – De Ocampo 22, Pogoy 15, Fonacier 15, Tautuaa 12, Rosario 12, Williams 11, Rosser 10, Reyes 8, Carey 3, Hernandez 0, Rosales 0, Sumalinog 0.
Ginebra (103) – Tenorio 27, Aguilar 15, Devance 15, Thompson 13, Ellis 12, Mercado 7, Marcelo 6, Caguioa 4, Ferrer 3, Mariano 1, Cruz 0, Taha 0
Quarterscores: 34-30, 53-53, 76-87, 108-103.
