Photo by Brosi Gonzales: Jason Castro blocks Gary David's three-point attempt.
Injury
depleted TNT outlasts Powerade
by rick olivares
November 9, 2011
Smart Araneta Coliseum
The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters
gutted out a huge win over a tough Powerade Tigers squad 95-86. “But at what
price?” asked a glum head coach Chot Reyes after the match even with his team
drawing level with Philippine Cup leader Rain or Shine at the top of the
standings with a 6-1 record.
Two days after forward-center Ali Peek
was shot by a still unknown gunman that simply sank the team’s heart, the
defending Philippine Cup champions lost stud guard Ryan Reyes to a knee injury
during a loose ball scramble where Powerade’s Doug Kramer unknowingly backed up
on the TNT player.
It has been a dour week for Talk N’
Text beginning with the loss of forward Aaron Aban to a torn ACL last Monday
followed by the shooting incident that has drawn widespread interest. Reyes is
already without forward Rich Alvarez who has torn ligaments on his left hand
and Jimmy Alapag who is expected back in December as he is still recuperating
from a knee injury. Center Ranidel de Ocampo and forward Harvey Carey recently
returned from the injury list and are far from optimum game form.
Prior to the match, Reyes was already
wary of Powerade that absorbed a 117-78 beating at the hands of Barako Bull
last Sunday. The multi-titled coach expected the Tigers to play their best
basketball against them. Although TNT spotted Powerade a 22-13 first quarter
lead, the Tigers came back as first round draft pick Marcio Lassiter scored 15
points in the second quarter to give the Bo Perasol-coached squad a 43-40 lead
at the half.
TNT battled back in the third behind
Ryan Reyes (9 points), Jason Castro (7 points), and Japeth Aguilar (4 points)
who played terrific defense for a 71-66 lead entering the fateful fourth
period.
Then at the 11:34 mark of the final
period, Aguilar batted away an entry pass to Kramer that had the players
scrambling for the loose ball. Talk ‘n Text was able to recover the ball but
Reyes went down in pain clutching his knee.
Almost immediately, Powerade tied the
match behind Josh Vanlandingham and Sean Anthony. The two teams traded baskets
and were tied at 80-all following a Kelly Williams lay up off a loose ball with
5:34 left.
After Gary David drained a pull up
jumper to bring his team a point down at 86-87 with 2:10 left, Aguilar
responded with an 18-foot jumper. Powerade was unable to score on their end
after which Jared Dillinger hit a triple with two seconds left on the shot
clock (off a kick out by Castro) to give TNT a 92-86 lead with 1:12 left.
Castro blocked David for the second
time in the quarter after he came off a pick for a three-point attempt. The
quicksilver quick guard drove the lane causing the defense to sag. Castro them
passed out to Dillinger who was all by his lonesome at the top of the arc. The
former University of Hawaii Rainbow Warrior nailed his third trey of the
quarter that knocked the wind out of the sails of Powerade; good for a 95-86
win.
Immediately after the match, the TNT
team raced out to check on Ryan Reyes who was being wheeled onto an ambulance
bound for the New Medical City in Pasig for a MRI.
Said Chot Reyes post-match: “We won
this game but we lost another guy. Ryan Reyes was just rushed to the hospital
in an ambulance. We were not in any condition to play this game after Monday night’s
event. The guys stayed in the hospital ‘til one o’clock to stay with Ali. We went
through the motions in practice and it showed in tonight’s game. Hindi ko
makuha magalit sa kanila because I felt it was unfair to push them in the
condition that we were in. But when we called a timeout in the middle of the
third quarter – we were down by 10 or 12 points, I just told the players, “How
are you going to visit Ali if we lose this game this way? Luckily they responded.”
Reyes couldn’t help but note the irony
of how the Tropang Texters were relatively injury for the most part of last
season until the fateful third conference where they lost to Petron in a
thrilling seven-game Governors’ Cup Finals. “Such is life. Darating din yung
meron konting malas at paghihirap. We have to face it square in the eye. We
will find a lot about ourselves with the way we battle and play these next few
games.”
Talk
‘N Text 95 - Aguilar 21, Dillinger 18, Castro 12, Williams 12, Carey 10, Reyes 9,
Fonacier 9, De Ocampo 4, Raymundo 0, Oreta 0, Membrere 0, Lao 0.
Powerade
86 – Lassiter 24, David 21, Kramer 10, Casio 8, Lingganay 7, Antonio 6,
Vanlandingham 5, Anthony 5, Crisano 0.
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