Black’s experience came to fore when he designed a perfect play with just a second to go as the Eagles stole a 73-72 win over the stunned University of Santo Tomas Tigers Sunday in one of the most stirring comebacks in the finals history.
That gem of a play saw Macky Escalona dish off a baseball pitch of an inbound from near mid-court to a wide-open Doug Kramer in front of the basket for the riveting buzzer beater.
Coaches of lesser stuff would have given up after the Tigers took a 72-71 lead on a tough jumper by Allan Evangelista with a second to go. But Black, the former PBA grand slam coach, kept his cool and sued for time.
"I’ve seen games won by less than a second so I didn’t give up," said Black, who savored the great escape with his charges afterwards.
Even UST mentor Pido Jarencio, who had his share of buzzer beaters himself during his PBA days, was impressed by that play.
So did the rest of those who’ve seen the pulsating come-from-behind victory.
"The only way to score with a second to go is to shoot it inside, and they did it," said Jarencio.
However, Jarencio, a rookie coach, said the Game 1 loss was a learning experience.
"We’re charging it to experience," said Jarencio. "We just hope to learn from it and bounce back in Game 2."
But despite the sorry setback, UST, a long shot until it neutralized UE’s twice-to-beat edge in the Final Four, proved that the talent-laden Ateneo can be beaten.
"The loss was nothing to be ashamed of," said UST team manager Clarence Aytona. "Instead, it opened our eyes to the possibility that an underdog team like us has the ability to win over a fancied team like Ateneo."
Even Black admits the series is far from over.
"They’ve shown they deserve to be in the finals," said Black. "What’s important is that we won Game 1 and we have a chance to wrap it up on Thursday."
With Ateneo raring to end the series and UST proving to be a worthy contender, expect Game Two to be another thrilling, down-to-the-wire battle.