With the going getting tough for FedEx, Maddox took charge and bailed the team out of trouble as the Express finally notched their first win in the Gran Matador PBA Fiesta Conference with a 120-116 drubbing of the Shell Turbochargers in overtime at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo last night.
The 27-year-old veteran international campaigner fired 17 points in the fourth quarter and added seven in the extra period, keeping the team in the fight after losing a 12-point halftime lead on a spirited Shell rally.
Fresh from a stint with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers team in the Chinese league, Maddox, who finished with 38 points and eight rebounds, had a chance to win the game right in regulation play but misfired a fade-away jumper at the buzzer.
But the game’s biggest baskets definitely belonged to Maddox, including back-to-back treys that put the team back in the thick of things in the homestretch in regulation play.
"I was kind of feeling my game early on but once I got my rhythm, everything just happened," said Maddox as he led the Express to their first win in four starts in the PBA transition tourney. He had nine three-pointers.
"Nanalo rin sa wakas," said FedEx coach Boni Garcia.
With the win, the Express moved to eighth place on the chart and relegated the Turbochargers to ninth place with a 1-5 win-loss card. Shell absorbed a third straight loss despite the return of import Marek Ondera from the injured list.
Ondera led the Turbochargers with 21 points and 12 rebounds in his first game since suffering a sprained ankle in their game against Purefoods last March 4 in Gen. Santos City. That’s the only game Shell has won thus far in the tourney.
Maddox led all scorers with 38 and got all the support he needed from his teammates. Vergel Meneses fired a personal season best 28 points while John Ferriols and Roger Yap added 17 and 13, respectively.
With Chris Calaguio struggling, Ronald Tubid came off the bench to fuel a searing run that had Shell surging ahead at 99-87 from a 71-76 deficit in the third quarter.
Shell actually took control at the start but ran into a series of errors and missed shots, allowing FedEx to seize a 28-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.