After sitting out versus Rain or Shine due to flu, Roger Pogoy returned with a bang and led the TNT KaTropa’s 127-89 whitewashing of the Blackwater Elite, Saturday evening at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Pogoy finished with 28 points on 13-of-17 shooting, including 12 in the final quarter, where he scored 10 straight in a span of less than two minutes. His performance propelled the Texters to a commanding 104-72 lead with 8:45 remaining.
The third-year guard out of Far Eastern University also collected six rebounds and four assists.
“Roger galing sa sakit, and he came out strong and ready to play,” lauded TNT head coach Bong Ravena of Pogoy.
The Katropa have now won their third consecutive and have improved to 5-3, tying the San Miguel Beermen at the third spot of the team standings. On the other hand, the Elite fell to 2-7, making their playoff hopes slimmer.
Jericho Cruz flirted with a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds in the victory. Troy Rosario supplied 17 points, while Ryan Reyes provided 14 points and five caroms off the bench. Forward Don Trollano chimed in 11 markers.
The match started to become a one-sided affair in favor of the Katropa when they turned a slim five-point lead to a wide 14-point cushion, 56-42, after Cruz’s three-pointer with just 20 seconds left before the halftime break.
TNT would go on to lead by as many as 44, 116-72, with five minutes left to play as a result of a whopping 31-0 rally, which was just a point away from trying the 32 straight points set by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in 1991.
“We were happy with the win. First half we were not happy because they scored 34 in the second quarter. We told them we have to stay in control especially on defense and I’m glad they pulled through,” said Ravena.
Mike DiGregorio led the Elite with 20 points. Allein Maliksi backed him up with 13 markers.
TNT will look to get going versus the Alaska Aces on March 15, Friday, at the Cuneta Astrodome. Meanwhile, Blackwater will aim to bounce back versus the NLEX Road Warriors on March 17, Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
TNT 127 – Pogoy 28, Cruz 20, Rosario 17, Reyes 14, Trollano 11, Semerad 9, Taha 8, Heruela 6, Casino 5, Carey 4, Williams 2, Castro 2, Bono 1.
Blackwater 89 – Digregorio 20, Maliksi 13, Banal 9, Al-Hussaini 8, Belo 8, Sena 6, Jose 6, Desiderio 5, Sumang 4, Javier 4, Dario 3, Cortez 2, Tratter 1, Eriobu 0.
Quarterscores: 19-11, 56-45, 90-72, 127-89.
