Magnolia hacked out an 89-84 win over the hard-fighting Terrafirma to get back on track with the hope that it would be the start of a needed turnaround in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Ricardo Ratliffe struck the dagger with a strong make inside for the eventual scoreline with 29.3 seconds left to play and the Hotshots went on to find redemption after suffering a Christmas Day heartbreak against Ginebra.
But it’s more than just bouncing back for the traditional contenders, with their fingers crossed that the win would finally be the switch that would flip things for the better after winning just twice in their first seven games of the tilt.
“I think they played well. For the last three games they’ve been playing well. I told the players it’s a matter of who wants it more because their backs are also against the wall,” said head coach Chito Victolero, referring to his old team.
“It was another grindout game for us. Siguro iyan na tema ng mga games namin, always close. This time we were disciplined down the stretch,” he furthered. “We found the right guy in the last few seconds of the game.”
Ratliffe showed the way with 32 points and 14 rebounds. Zav Lucero backed him up with 17 points behind a perfect 12-for-12 clip from the free throw line alongside six rebounds on the way to earning Player of the Game honors.
The two were crucial in giving their team the lead for good. With Aris Dionisio in the fray as well, they put together a mini 7-0 to break the deadlock and establish an 82-75 advantage approaching the game’s last four minutes.
Still, the opposition tried to fight back but Lucero and Lastimosa delivered key hits to keep the Dyip at bay, then came Ratliffe’s killer blow to seal the deal.
“I talked to him about being aggressive on both ends of the floor,” said Victolero as his reinforcement scored seven of his points in the fourth.
Ian Sangalang tallied 11 points and seven rebounds, while Jerom Lastimosa added 11 points. Mark Barroca made his presence felt with 11 assists.
Magnolia now only has four games left in the elimination round and will need to sweep them all to boost its chances of reaching the quarterfinals.
Up next for Victolero and Co. is the struggling San Miguel in a rivalry affair set on Sunday, January 12, 7:30 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
It would surely be another tough test for the Hotshots as they will have to play once more without Paul Lee, who’s listed as day-to-day due to a slight meniscus tear found on his knee from an MRI scan done days after their Kings game.
Meanwhile, Terrafirma dropped to 0-9, and is now officially out of the running for a slot in the first round of the playoffs set in February.
Wasted by the loss was the 22-point effort of Stanley Pringle as he led a Dyip side that only got 14 points and eight rebounds from Brandon Edwards.
But in all fairness to Edwards, it was him who nailed a big trey that pulled themselves within three, 87-84, with only 1:10 remaining.
Still, Magnolia found ways, simply dumping the ball on Ratliffe for the clincher before relying on defense to prevent their foes from getting good looks.
The defeat also spoiled the debut of star guard Terrence Romeo, who finally returned to action after nearly two months due to a calf injury.
With three games left in its conference, Terrafirma can only hope to finish strongly versus Blackwater, Hong Kong Eastern, and TNT, in that order.
The Scores:
Magnolia 89 – Ratliffe 32, Lucero 17, Sangalang 13, Lastimosa 11, Dionisio 8, Barroca 4, Alfaro 2, Ahanmisi 2, Balanza 0, Abueva 0, Laput 0, Dela Rosa 0, Mendoza 0.
Terrafirma 84 – Pringle 22, Edwards 14, Ferrer 11, Nonoy 8, Paraiso 7, Manuel 6, Catapusan 5, Romeo 3, Carino 2, Hernandez 0, Melecio 0, Ramos 0.
Quarterscores: 28-25, 41-40, 68-66, 89-84.
