Last March 3, Roger Pogoy sat in the bleachers, only clad in street clothes, when his TNT KaTropa faced the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The KaTropa reigned victorious 100-92.
The 26-year-old sat out due to flu-like symptoms. He had just from an overseas trip with Gilas Pilipinas in Qatar and Kazakhstan for the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers – a trip where they succeeded in booking a ticket to the Worlds.
Pogoy hasn’t fully recovered yet, but he decided to suit up for TNT on Saturday when they faced the Blackwater Elite, still at the Ynares Center. “May ubo pa ako tsaka sipon pero pagaling na,” said the Cebuano scorer.
And he made sure to have a sensational return.
Pogoy exploded for 28 points – including 10 straight in less than two minutes early in the final frame – along with six rebounds and four assists, to lead the Texters to a dominant 127-89 victory over the struggling Elite.
The former Far Eastern University standout, who has been the KaTropa’s leading scorer this season, expressed his elation with the way he had played. Still, he did not take all the limelight to himself, as he also tipped his hat to his teammates.
Four more players scored in double figures, and TNT as a whole shot a blistering 57.9 percent from the field that saw them bury 14 three-pointers. Their defense was also on-point, as they forced Blackwater into 21 turnovers.
But their best collective performance was the 31-0 rally they pulled off en route to a 116-72 lead with five minutes left to play – just a point shy from tying the 32 straight made by Barangay Ginebra back in 1991.
“Happy din ako sa nilaro ko ngayon kasi maganda. Pero hindi lang naman ako, lahat naman kami,” he said.
Saturday’s win marked their third straight victory. They also improved their card to 5-3, tying the San Miguel Beermen at the third spot of the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup standings. So now, Pogoy hopes that they will keep their flow going.
“Masaya kami sa nilaro namin. Third straight na na maganda na laro namin lalo na sa depensa. Sana tuloy-tuloy.”
