Blackwater proved that at crunch time, they have found players who can rise to the occasion.
That occasion was the come-from-behind win against Alaska last Sunday and responding to the challenge were second year guard Roi Sumang and the veteran Ronjay Buenafe who ably backed up star rookie Mac Belo and sophomore wingman Art de la Cruz.
Sumang and Buenafe came through with solid numbers as the Elite held off a late rally by the Aces to score 103-100 victory that moved the team to solo fourth spot with a 5-4 win-loss record.
Buenafe, a 6-foot-1 guard from Emilio Aguinaldo College, scattered nine of his 16 points in the third quarter when Blackwater turned a 45-49 halftime deficit to 76-71 advantage entering the final frame.
The diminutive 5-foot-8 Sumang then took over in the fourth period as he scored 10 of his 19 points that helped team take a 92-78 lead with 5:47 left.
Sumang was particularly happy that he outshined Alaska’s Jvee Casio whom he considers his idol. “Isa sya sa mga idol ko dito sa PBA,” said the one-time University of the East star whom Blackwater picked in an off-season trade with GlobalPort.
“Nabigyan ng opportunity kaya binigay ko yung best ko. Basta ginawa ko makakaya ko, and sabi nga ni coach (Leo Isaac) huwag ko na isipin kung sino maka-harap ko, importante is laruin ko yung laro ko.”
As for the 6-foot-2 Buenafe, his patience and work ethic during practice sessions has been paying off being a rotation player for Blackwater.
Now in his 10th season in the PBA – and in his eighth team – he said his mantra is just to be ready in every game. He also is taking his role as a team veteran, along with Denok Miranda, to provide guidance to his younger teammates.
“Syempre kami yung veterans sa team, halos kasama natin mga bata kaya kami na din yung parang gumagabay sa kanila,” said Buenafe, a former star at Emilio Aguinaldo College who won a title in 2012 with Rain or Shine.
“Sa akin naman, ready lang ako palagi. Ganun ang mindset ko every game. Hopefully ma-sustain ng buong team kung ano yung ginagawa namin ngayon kasi malaki ang chance namin maka-pasok sa next round e,” added Buenafe.
Belo led the Elite with 21 points and seven rebounds, while De la Cruz had 13 points, but the performances of Sumang and Buenafe added new dimension to Blackwater’s offense by providing additional firepower from team front liners Raymond Aguilar and James Sena.
With the win, Blackwater moved into the threshold of making the quarterfinals for the first time since joining the league two years ago. The team faces the struggling Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Friday and a win will earn it a quarters berth. If it loses, the team gets another chance against Star on Jan. 25.
“One game at a time, yun lang kami,” said Isaac, whose team is on track of finishing in the top two, which carries a twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals. “Our focus is our game against Ginebra, saka na namin iisipin ang Star.”