Blackwater’s Troy Rosario. –PBA IMAGES
Blackwater marked the maiden appearance of coach Jeffrey Cariaso in the PBA On Tour with a pulsating 103-101 victory over shorthanded San Miguel Beer on Sunday at Filoil Ecooil Centre in San Juan City.
Jvee Casio knocked down three free throws off a Flagrant Foul 1 called by John Apacible with 22 seconds left before the Bossing made a stop on the ensuing play to eventually seal back-to-back wins for the first time in the exhibition series.
The win came after Cariaso arrived from the United States to finally focus on his role of trying to turn Blackwater’s fortunes before the season starts in mid-October.
“These are the games that we need in order for us to learn how to close games,” said assistant coach Joe Silva, who still called the shots during the contest.
Troy Rosario had another strong game with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists while four others scored in double figures in Blackwater’s fifth win after eight matches.
Casio, Baser Amer and Mike DiGregorio had 13 points each while Rashawn McCarthy added 10 points for Blackwater.
Allyn Bulanadi’s 26 points and Jericho Cruz’s 25 couldn’t lift the Beermen to a win that would have likely been fruitful considering that they came to the game with just nine players in uniform.
Cruz’s basket made it 101-99 for San Miguel, time down to 36 seconds, but Apacible’s foul allowed Casio to nail the go-ahead charities for Blackwater.
The Beermen tried to regain the lead but Cruz missed a short one-hander and Amer split his foul attempts to settle the final tally.
The scores:
BLACKWATER 103—Rosario 19, DiGregorio 13, Casio 13, Amer 13, McCarthy 10, Sena 9, Suerte 8, Ilagan 6, Ayonayon 4, Banal 4, Ular 2, Publico 2.
SAN MIGUEL 101—Bulanadi 26, Cruz 25, Lee 15, Apacible 11, Brondial 10, Baclao 7, Faundo 4, Dela Cruz 3, De Vera 0.
Quarters: 28-21, 59-60, 79-75, 103-101.