ANTIPOLO – JB Bahio could only feel relief after his late-game blunder nearly spoiled the game NLEX dedicated to its main man, Robert Bolick.
The young winger missed both of his free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining, which could’ve given the Road Warriors more space to breathe with San Miguel threatening to close in.
Thankfully, Lady Luck ultimately sided in their favor.
Don Trollano intended to pass to Jericho Cruz, who was open underneath the rim for an easy deuce, only for the ball to sail out of bounds as the buzzer sounded.
NLEX escaped with the 85-84 result to open its PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup campaign with an upset win against the defending conference champions.
“Medyo na-pressure ng kaunti,” a smiling Bahio admitted to Tiebreaker Times moments after the thrilling encounter at the Ynares Center here.
It was actually a bad shooting night from the foul line for the former San Beda Red Lion, with only a 28.6-percent accuracy. But he was responsible for giving his side a lead good enough for the crew to hang on to.
He may have only sunk two of his seven bonuses, but they were crucial as they gave NLEX the 85-80 lead with 17.1 seconds left.
And he redeemed himself from those botched freebies as well, helping distract Trollano, which ultimately led to the costly turnover for the Beermen.
“‘Yung second wala. Kaya tumakbo ako, bumawi ako sa depensa. Thankful hindi nila na-shoot,” the 27-year-old forward said with a chuckle.
With NLEX eventually completing the comeback from 13 down, Bahio was also able to preserve his solid outing of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
But what he’s thankful for, really, was winning for their ‘Kuya Berto,’ who’s currently in the States grieving the loss of his father, Robert Sr.
“Grateful na nakuha namin ‘tong panalo na ‘to. Hindi lang ‘to para sa team eh, kasi ‘yung game na ‘to dine-dedicate talaga namin kay kuya Berto,” he said.
#WATCH “MEDYO NA PRESSSURE”
JB Bahio redeems himself with the clutch stop that helps NLEX shock San Miguel 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/3zwCzOnggz
📹 Justine Bacnis/Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/9tbWEJUbW0
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) October 8, 2025
