Aldrech Ramos and Alex Cabagnot were the steady presence Terrafirma needed to come back and beat Rain or Shine in overtime, 112-106, to breakthrough in the 2021-22 PBA Governors’ Cup, Saturday night at the Ynares Sports Arena.
The 6-foot-6 forward nailed the go-ahead three-pointer from the corner, and then banked it in from point-blank range to put the Dyip ahead with a comfortable 108-104 advantage with less than a minute to go.
Those big shots both came off the veteran floor general’s timely assists. It was also him who spotted import Antonio Hester sliding towards the basket for an easy lay-up, which stretched their lead to six with 29.3 seconds left.
“Our game against Phoenix, hindi kami nakatapos ng maayos e. And we were talking about finishing games in our practice yesterday,” said lead assistant Gian Nazario, who’s pinch-hitting for injured head coach Johnedel Cardel.
“Yesterday’s practice was light … It was really more of telling the players that we have to learn how to finish games,” he added. “And, heto na, hopefully this is a good sign, and hopefully we can carry out as we go on.”
The victory finally gave Cabagnot his first in a Terrafirma uniform. He finished with 15 points and 11 assists, alongside eight rebounds.
Ramos, on the other hand, supplied 12 markers and seven boards. It was also him who sent the game into another five minutes, as he sank a corner triple off a Juami Tiongson save with exactly seven seconds left in regulation.
“I think it would be the last shot ni Aldrech that sent it into overtime, I think that changed the complexion of the game especially we headed into another five minutes,” said Nazario when asked about the game’s turning point.
“And we were just lucky to have someone like Alex who can lead, who can be another coach inside the court, especially, as we all know, si Coach John is still recovering from his injury,” added the seasoned bench tactician.
Hester dropped 40 points and 11 rebounds to lead Terrafirma in an outing that also saw him rack up three assists, two steals, and a block.
Tiongson added 16 points on three triples, together with six boards and four dimes in the win that hiked the Dyip’s card to 1-1.
Meanwhile, Henry Walker and Rey Nambatac had 25 points apiece to lead Rain or Shine, who actually held an 82-72 lead entering the fourth.
Walker, who also had 12 rebounds and five assists to his name, actually had the chance to win it for his side late in regulation. Unfortunately, he failed to catch the inbound of Gabe Norwood as the ball sailed out of bounds.
Javee Mocon added 17 in the loss. The versatile winger gave the Elasto Painters a 104-103 lead with 2:23 left in OT following a three, only for Ramos to answer back and it was all Dyip from there as RoS dropped to 1-1.
The Scores
Terrafirma 112 – Hester 40, Tiongson 16, Cabagnot 15, Ramos 12, Pascual 10, Cahilig 9, Adams 6, Melton 2, Calvo 2, Camson 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0, Batiller 0, Celda 0.
Rain or Shine 106 – Walker 25, Nambatac 25, Mocon 17, Santillan 9, Belga 7, Norwood 6, Asistio 4, Torres 3, Borboran 3, Caracut 3, Jackson 2, Wong 2, Ponferada 0.
Quarterscores: 31-31, 52-51, 72-82, 98-98, 112-106.
