Late Pogoy explosion lifts TNT past Brgy. Ginebra

A late scoring outburst by Roger Pogoy gave TNT the much-needed boost as the Tropang Giga came from behind to defeat Brgy. Ginebra, 114-105, in the penultimate day of the PBA Season 47 elimination round at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

Pogoy finished with 22 points including 7 straight in the closing stretch of the final frame which gave his team a 6-point edge, 110-104, with 2:25 left on the game clock. The Gin Kings, who led most of the way and entered the payoff period on top by 11, failed to counter and watched as Mikey Williams and Calvin Oftana delivered the final blows.

With the victory, the flagship team of the MVP group secured the top seed while the Gin Kings dropped to number 3.

“He (Pogoy) can make those shots. Jayson can make those shots. Tonight was Roger. But it’s not only the making of shots, but it’s actually making the plays on the defensive side before we get that ball back,” said TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa during the post-game presser.

“The guys are coming around and Rondae, he’s beginning to figure out how to play with the guys,” he added.

“I was prepared for all scenarios, to go down to No. 2, to No. 3. For me right now, we cannot pick who we want to play, so whoever is given to us, either No. 6, 7, or 8, it doesn’t really matter.”

Richard Hollis-Jefferson led the charge for the Tropang Giga with 34 points in 42 minutes of play. The former NBA player shot 12-of-19 from the field and 10-of-13 from the stripe and added 11 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals and a block to his tally. Mikey Williams scored 25 while Calvin Oftana and Jayson Castro contributed 12 markers apiece.

Justin Brownlee paced the defending champs with 27 points to go with 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Christian Standhardinger and Scottie Thompson added 19 points each while Jamie Malonzo and Stanley Pringle chipped in 15 and 10 markers, respectively.

The Gin Kings, armed with a twice-to-beat incentive, clash with the 6th seeded NLEX on Sunday, March 19, 6:45pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The scores:

TNT 114 – Hollis-Jefferson 34, M. Williams 25, Pogoy 22, Oftana 12, Castro 12, K. Williams 5, Chua 2, Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Montalbo 0, Varilla 0, Khobuntin 0.

Brgy. Ginebra 105 – Brownlee 27, Standhardinger 19, Thompson 19, Malonzo 15, Pringle 10, Gray 5, Pessumal 3, David 3, Onwubere 2, Dillinger 2, Pinto 0, Mariano 0.

Quarterscores: 23-27, 47-56, 82-93, 114-105.