NLEX Road Warriors’ Myke Henry against San Miguel Beermen’s June Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter. –PBA IMAGES
After two weeks of action, the top two teams in Group B of the PBA Governors’ Cup are not a pair of heavyweights under the umbrella of San Miguel Corporation.
NLEX’s thrilling 112-108 overtime victory over powerhouse San Miguel Beer on Saturday in Cagayan de Oro City sent the Road Warriors to solo second in the group at 3-1, trailing only the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, the lone unbeaten side in the season-opening conference.
The Beermen lost a second game in a row to go 2-2 for third, while sitting at fourth is Barangay Ginebra, which is at 1-2 after Friday’s shock loss to debuting import George King and the Blackwater Bossing at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
It’s an unexpected reality in the early goings of group play, with San Miguel and Ginebra seen before the season began as the teams that will jump right out of the gates.
But as Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said after his team’s victory over winless Phoenix, things can quickly turn for his team and any squad for that matter.
Still, there’s reason for the Road Warriors, under new coach Jong Uichico, to savor the joy of getting a victory over the Beermen, with import Myke Henry playing the lead role after dropping 33 points that went with six rebounds and four assists.
San Miguel counterpart Jordan Adams sent the game to a five-minute extension with a basket late in regulation, only for the Beermen to fail to get it done in extension.
Meanwhile, creating separation remains easier said than done in Group A, with almost every team wanting to keep things tight in the standings.
The end of Sunday’s doubleheader at Ninoy Aquino Stadium will see the winner of the Meralco-NorthPort duel at 7:30 p.m. joining idle TNT at top of the group at 3-1, while the loser could potentially see itself sharing third with Converge and Magnolia.
Magnolia, carrying a 1-2 record, tackles winless Terrafirma in the opener at 5 p.m.
“It’s a very tough group,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes. “You see how NorthPort is playing and we barely beat them. We caught Meralco on an off night, but we saw how they were able to bounce back.”
TNT defeated NorthPort, 101-95, and Meralco, 93-73, wins that are key to its current place in the standings.
NorthPort recovered from that setback to get two victories, including Thursday’s 135-109 rout of Converge behind a career-high 51 points from Arvin Tolentino, who registered the highest points scored by a local in two decades.
Meralco fell to 1-1 after that harsh defeat to TNT, which was compounded by Chris Newsome’s ankle injury, before the Bolts atoned for that by routing Terrafirma last Wednesday.
How Tolentino does a sequel and if Newsome can be available for the Bolts will be known by the time the two sides square off.