Last-gasp basket saves Thunder

Red Bull Barako played the catch-up role almost throughout but took the lead in the nick of time, stealing an 85-84 win over Sta. Lucia Realty in the Gran Matador PBA Fiesta Conference at the Philsports Arena last night.

Junthy Valenzuela fired the go-ahead basket with one second left in the clock then the Thunder preserved it with a resolute defense in the ensuing play as they sprang back from a sorry loss to the Talk n Text Phone Pals in their debut last week.

Bingo Merriex struggled in his debut in the local pro league and the Thunder had to work extra hard to overcome Lamayn Wilson’s 31-point performance in dealing the Realtors a second loss in a row.

"There’s a lot of luck involved in the game but I would like to give credit to the boys for carving it out. Talagang kinayod nila nang kinayod," said Red Bull Barako coach Yeng Guiao.

"Napansin kong nabawasan kami ng offensive options on the departure of Willie Miller. And our import needs to fully blend well with the team (if we’re to be competitive in the tournament)," Guiao added.

Though already over a week in the country, Merriex groped for form, hitting below 50 percent from the field and at the stripe.

"Galing lang yata sa bingohan sa Cubao," said Guiao in jest.

Nonetheless, the former Texas Christian University mainstay lent Red Bull Barako a help. He had his biggest basket in the game entering the last two-minute mark as he rifled in a trey to cut their deficit to one at 81-82.

Wilson gave Sta. Lucia a three-point lead on two free throws off a foul by Mick Pennisi in the ensuing play but Davonn Harp reduced it to one again, 83-84, on a layup following his own block on Wilson in an earlier action.

The Thunder gained the opportunity to finally surge ahead as Dennis Espino fumbled his possession of the ball with 18 seconds left in the clock.

After a timeout, Merriex took matters into his hand by firing a three-pointer. He missed the target but Harp pulled down the offensive rebound then kicked the ball out to Valenzuela who launched a jumper near the stripe.

The Thunder and their crowd at the gallery erupted in a frenzied celebration as Valenzuela’s attempt hit nothing but net with time down to one second.

Sta. Lucia spent all its remaining timeouts in trying to plot a bail-out play to no avail. The Realtors, thus, remained winless in two starts.

The game will be shown on ABC 5 tomorrow at 7 p.m.