BY: REYNALD MAGALLON
Jeo Ambohot displayed his touch from the distance, firing away eight triples to lead Converge’s 109-84 drubbing of TNT in the PBA on Tour on Wednesday, June 21, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Looking like a perfect stretch four, the 6-foot-7 big man exploded for 31 points as the FiberXers leaned on his deadly inside-outside combination with frontline running mate Justin Arana who also posted an impressive 18 points, 14 rebounds and six assist performance.
Jeric Teng also had the fair share of the spotlight with his 19 points while Jerrick Balanza and Matt Nieto chipped in 14 and 10, respectively, as Converge picked up its second straight win for an even 3-3 record in the standings.
It was Arana who put in the work early, throwing his weight around the paint as the still shorthanded Tropang Giga struggled to contain him. Attracting double teams and weak side helps, the FiberXers then repeatedly found Ambohot open from the three-point territory.
With the two in tow, Converge dictated the tempo of the contest, building a comfortable 13-point advantage, 55-42, at the break before totally ripping the game apart in the third frame.
With the shots seamlessly falling for the FiberXers, they only needed to tighten up their defensive screws at the start of the second half to build a lead that went to as many as 29 points midway through the third quarter.
TNT, still without its stars in Jayson Castro, Mikey Williams and Kelly Williams while Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy and Poy Erram are also on loan to Gilas Pilipinas, struggled with its offense for almost all throughout the contest.
Meantime, Barangay Ginebra escaped Blackwater by a hairline, 81-80, in overtime to pick up its second win in the PBA on Tour.
Sidney Onwubere completed his breakout performance with a go-ahead putback inside the final minute before the Kings, along with their legions of fans inside the venue, collectively heaved a huge sigh of relief when Tyrus Hill muffed two crucial free throws that could have won it for the Bossing with 0.5 second left.
Onwubere finished with a game-high 25 points including the follow-up shot off a Nards Pinto miss with 43.5 seconds left in the extension.
Still, Ginebra fans were left at the edge of their seats in the waning seconds as the Kings almost fumbled their final defensive play.
Ginebra managed to force Blackwater to take a hurried and well-defended shot in its final possession with RK Ilagan missing his three-point try but the Kings allowed Hill to collar the offensive board before he was sent to the foul line by a Jayson David foul.
The late whistle turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Ginebra as the high-flying Bossing forward back rimmed both of his attempts, allowing the Kings to come away with the victory and improve its record 2-3.
