By REYNALD MAGALLON
Magnolia became the undisputed king of the PBA on Tour, taking down Terrafirma Dyip, 106-92, to complete an 11-game sweep of the pre-season exhibition tournament at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan on Monday, July 26.
With the Dyip staying too close for comfort, Joseph Eriobu provided the spark as the Hotshots created the much needed separation with a pivotal 14-2 run bridging the last two quarters to put a strong end to their splendid pre-season campaign.
Eriobu, who was making a case for a permanent spot in the Hotshots’ lineup after getting elevated from Magnolia’s 3×3 team, unloaded seven of his 15 points during the crucial stretch while frontcourt partner James Laput also capped his impressive pre-season with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Mark Barroca and Jio Jalalon provided the leadership in the absence of veterans Paul Lee and Ian Sangalang. Barroca finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists while Jalalon, despite only scoring three points, turned to his teammates with his 12 assists on top of eight boards.
The game looked to be on its way to a grindout affair with Terrafirma sticking close to Magnolia, even tying the game at 69-all late in the third frame. Eriobu, however, had other things in mind, drilling a late triple just before the end of the period to give the Hotshots a three-point cushion heading into the final frame.
That triple proved to be the spark Magnolia needed as Eriobu, Laput and Aris Dionisio all joined hands to establish a double-digit spread, 83-71 early in the final frame.
Meantime, NLEX recovered from a lethargic start with its topnotch defense and the hot-shooting of Anthony Semerad to outgun TNT, 97-84.
The Road Warriors tightened up their defense screws in the second frame to erase a huge 22 point deficit in the first half before Semerad spearheaded a blistering third quarter explosion to turn the table on the Tropang Giga.
Semerad actually poured 16 of NLEX’s 33 point eruption in that frame, allowing them to seize full control of the contest and improve to a 5-5 record in the standings.
The 6-foot-4 forward topscored the Road Warriors with 23 points, built on five triples while Jake Pascual anchored his team’s defensive stance with 18 huge rebounds across his name.
Clint Doliguez and Don Trollano also had their share in the come-from-behind win with 16 points apiece as NLEX overcame a blistering start from TNT which took a commanding 23-7 lead in the opening frame.
