Alley-oop play gets Blackwater past Boracay in OT

Reil Cervantes of Blackwater (light) vs Prince Caperal and Mac Belo (behind) of Boracay (dark). PBA D-LEAGUE IMAGE by Nuki Sabio

MANILA, Philippines — Reil Cervantes and Kevin Ferrer teamed up on a last-second play as Blackwater Sports got by Boracay Rum, 96-94, in overtime in the 2014 PBA D-League Foundation Cup Monday at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao.

Cervantes caught a well-thrown lob pass by Ferrer on a sideline inbounds play before banking in the game-winning basket with 0.3 tenths of a second left as the Elite enhanced their playoff chances with a 4-3 record.

“It was a special play,” Blackwater coach Leo Isaac told reporters of his well-designed play. “We run it in practice regularly for situations like this. We’re lucky we were able to use it in actual play.

“I kept telling the guys that the team that works hard, plays good basketball and plays with discipline will always win. I thought this one is a good example.”

The Elite weren’t supposed to be in a position to win the game at the last second. Not until the Waves turned the ball over that paved the way for a scintillating finish.

Cervantes, whose stellar showing since last conference makes him worthy of another stint in the PBA, posted a game-high 27 on 11-of-17 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. He also knotted the count at 94 with 37 seconds remaining in OT.

Jericho Cruz and Mark Cruz scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Gio Ciriacruz and Gilbert Bulawan had 10 points apiece as all four led a Blackwater bench mob.

“We committed a lot of miscues and made some poor executions. Good thing we still have some time to make the necessary correction as we try to win our last two games,” Isaac said.

Mac Belo collected 16 points, five rebounds and a block while Rudy Lingganay, who sent the game into extra session, tallied 15 points for the Waves, who slid to 3-5.

Boracay Rum came back from 12 points down, 46-58, as it took a 63-62 edge on a 3-pointer by Roider Cabrera early in the fourth period.

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