MANILA, Philippines – Mac Belo and Denok Miranda, two former FEU stars from different generations, took over to put Blackwater atop the PBA leaderboard for the first time ever.
The top rookie pick Belo topscored for Blackwater for the second straight game with 25 points while Miranda came up with a solid all-around effort highlighted by the game-winning play as the Elite made it two in a row in the 2016-17 PBA Philippine Cup with an 86-84 squeaker over the Meralco Bolts at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
“I’m so excited to look at the team standings now. It’s the first time you’ll see that we’re on top,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac.
“It’s a good start for the Blackwater Elite – first 2-0 start in any PBA tournament. Our problem is that the other teams would now prepare harder for us compared to the past two years,” Isaac added.
Joseph Yeo misfired a three-point shot at the buzzer, enabling Blackwater to escape with the win over Meralco, runner-up to Barangay Ginebra in the last Governors Cup.
Trailing by five in the homestretch, the Elite scored a follow-up on their 94-87 win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters in the season opener on a 7-0 closing roll by John Pinto, Belo and Miranda.
Belo tied the count at 84 on a trey then Miranda put Blackwater ahead to stay on a tough drive against a phalanx of Meralco defenders with time down to 4.2 seconds.
With 25 points that went with six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, Belo came away with the Best Player of the Game honors just as he did in his PBA debut against Phoenix.
He’s the first PBA rookie to achieve that feat since Paul Lee with Rain or Shine in 2011. Asi Taulava had the same achievement with Talk n Text in 1999.
“All he has to do is to stay disciplined and follow instructions, and he’ll be the player he’s projected to be,” said Isaac of their prized Gilas recruit, the finals MVP in the 2015 UAAP basketball tourney.
Miranda came through with the game-winning basket but it was Belo who made the key plays that put their team in a position to steal the game in the end.
After knotting the count at 84, Belo gave Blackwater a key possession on a defensive gem on Reynel Hugnatan with 17.2 seconds left in the contest.
Offensively, the 6-foot-4 Cotabato native struck from inside and out, going 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and converting 9-of-16 field-goal tries in all.
Kyle Pascual was another Blackwater who put in double-digit output, scattering 13 points in the first three quarters.
But the game winning play belonged to Miranda. As a veteran warrior, Miranda didn’t shy away from taking their last shot.
“Our last play had options for everybody. It could’ve been the other four players. But the veteran that he is, Miranda rose up. At 34, he showed he can still compete in the league,” said Isaac.
Ranidel de Ocampo scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter while rookie RR Pogoy added 15, including two clutch free throws at the finish as TNT KaTropa foiled Governors Cup titlist Barangay Ginebra, 108-103, in the nightcap.
The Texters opened a double-digit spread right in the first half, fell behind by 14 in the third quarter then surged again in the final period.
“It’s good win for us after a rough first game (against Rain or Shine),” said interim TNT coach Josh Reyes.