JUAMI TIONGSON’S scoring spree got checked on Sunday, but not Terrafirma’s winning ways in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup.
After slaying league giants one after the other—San Miguel Beer and defending champion Barangay Ginebra San Miguel—the Dyip went on a scoring rampage in the payoff period to outclass Blackwater, 96-84, to claim their third straight win at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Tiongson, after shooting a combined 20-of-42 from the field including 13-of-24 from the three-point zone against San Miguel Beer and Ginebra, logged only 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting—including two triples against the Bossing. He also averaged 29.5 points in the past two games.
But despite Tiongson’s anemic performance, Terrafirma banked on big man Aldrech Ramos and veteran shooting guard Reden Celda, who finished with 17 and 15 points, respectively, to hike their team’s win-loss record to 3-4.
Terrafirma struggled in the first three quarters before Celda took charge in the final quarter by making nine points that highlighted a blazing 24-8 run, shattering a 65-all count and erecting an 89-73 Dyip cushion with still 5:07 left.
“Coach [John Cardel] told us to treat this game as a championship game so we had to be ready,” Celda said.
Celda also had six rebounds and four assists, while Ramos collared nine rebounds.
Tiongson refused to be quiet all night and made it 91-73 with 3:14 left, making it difficult for the Bossing to get back into the game.
Blackwater led, 40-27, in the second quarter, but Terrafirma crawled back to within striking distance. The Dyip pounced on their opponents to threaten at 39-40 in the third period.
Terrafirma coach John Cardel played his cards wisely, taking out Tiongson as part of the starting unit.
“They will try their best to stop Juami [Tiongson] after those two impressive games. But I know my other players like Reden [Celda] and the rest can also step up,” Cardel said. “I was very worried about this third game so I told them to treat Blackwater as a strong team.”
“I didn’t like us to become complacent,” he said. “I tried to push the players.”
Philip Andreas Cahilig had 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Rashawn McCarthy made 10 points for the Dyip.
Joseph Gabayni and Matt Rosser-Ganuelas combined for 18 points also for Terrafirma.
Mike Tolomia and Simon Enciso led Blackwater, now on a seven-game skid, with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
The Meralco-Ginebra game, meanwhile, was postponed in accordance with the league’s health and safety protocols. The match will be rescheduled at a later date following league guidelines.
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