Romeo sizzles with 48 points as Smart All-Stars escape Luzon selection
BATANGAS CITY — Terrence Romeo put on a show in the second stop of the PBA's mid-season break, powering a depleted Smart All-Stars squad past the Luzon selection, 152-149, Friday night at the Batangas City Sports Center here.
Romeo caught fire in the first half, tallying 26 points to dictate the tempo. He went on to finish the game with 48 points, 11 dimes and six boards.
.@tbvromeo and his TNT teammates are leading Smart All-Stars in scoring. The crowd favorite guard already has 26 points at the half (??). He also has five assists and three boards. Despite being severely undermanned, they lead the Luzon team, 86-70. #PBAAllStar18onPhilStar pic.twitter.com/N56AGITuWo
— Denison Rey Dalupang (@sonrd) May 25, 2018
June Mar Fajardo held his own against the towering Luzon duo of Raymond Almazan and Japeth Aguilar while Jio Jalalon had his fingerprints all over the game, notching only the second triple-double (12-11-10) in an All-Star showcase next to Willie Miller’s 2007 performance in Baguio City .
"Walo kami kanina medyo maikli na nga 'yon, umikli pa lalo. Na-injure pa si Allein (Maliksi)," shared Yeng Guiao, the mentor of the Smart All-Stars. "Nagtrabaho naman ang mga bata kahit na pagod na pagod sila. Hindi nawala ang aggressiveness nila, and gusto rin nilang mapasaya ang mga tao."
Japeth Aguilar and Arwind Santos tried to put the game within reach, pouring 43 and 32 points, respectively. The Luzon squad, which outnumbered the Nationals 11 players to just eight, couldn’t pull the rug on their counterparts.
LA Tenorio, who was able to secure the leather during a frenetic scramble, had a chance to tie the game but the shot rattled out of the rim.
Romeo’s performance earned him the Most Valuable Player of the tussle, making Friday's brilliant performance the third time he took home the award.
The showcase moves to Iloilo City this Sunday at the University of San Augstin Gym.
The Scores:
SMART ALL-STARS 152 — Romeo 48, Fajardo 30, Rosario 20, Pogoy 17, Norwood 13, Jalalon 12, Belo 10, Maliksi 2.
LUZON ALL-STARS 149 — Aguilar 43, Abueva 23, Santos 23, Cabagnot 13, Tenorio 12, Castro 7, Lassiter 5, Wright 3, Almazan 2, Pringle 0.
Quarters: 47-38, 86-70, 121-106, 152-149.
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