Texters still ringing, force sudden death

MANILA, Philippines - Talk n Text simply refused to die, overcoming a flat start and finishing with a flurry as the Tropang Texters stopped the B-Meg Llamados’ final march to the throne with a 92-82 win that forced a deciding Game Seven in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals before a crowd of over 20,000 last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Texters picked up their game in the second period and Jason Castro took over, doing the damage on the Llamados in the fourth quarter as Talk n Text lived to fight a winner-take-all match tomorrow.

“In the end in a battle of two evenly matched teams, it’s boiling down to one final game for all the marbles. That’s what this championship is all about,” said coach Chot Reyes as his troops held on to their crown, surviving a third do-or-die game in the tourney.

“We’re just going on fumes. Hopefully, these fumes ignite and fuel one more run for us,” Reyes also said.

“We got off to a start that we wanted but couldn’t sustain it,” rued B-Meg coach Tim Cone.

“But it’s not the end of the series. We must not be discouraged. It’s a battle between two evenly matched teams and we may really be destined to battle in a fateful Game Seven,” Cone also said.

Castro sizzled with 25 points including 14 in the final period with Jared Dillinger, Ranidel de Ocampo, Ryan Reyes providing the backup in a Talk n Text run in the last three quarters to stay alive in the series.

The Texters rediscovered their old superb shooting and Donnell Harvey was a tower of power on the defensive end, negating another explosive performances of Denzel Bowles and James Yap.

Bowles topscored with 33 points and added 12 rebounds while Yap put in 27 points. No other B-Meg player chipped in more than five points, though.

As Bowles and Yap slowed down in the fourth quarter, the Texters waged a decisive attack to seize control at 79-66.

The Texters opened with a 12-3 run in the payoff period where the Llamados struggled with a 1-of-11 shooting and committed two errors. 

Reyes, De Ocampo and Castro combined for 5-of-6 three-point shooting, fuelling their rally from a 15-point deficit to race ahead, 50-48, at halftime.

Castro beat the buzzer with a triple from the left quartercourt, giving the Texters their first taste of the lead after trailing all the way from the opening tip.

The two teams picked up from where they left off in Game Five with the Llamados pouncing on the Texters’ lethargic start to build a commanding 14-point spread six minutes into the game.

Bowles outscored the entire TnT starting unit of Harvey, Castro, Reyes, Jimmy Alapag and Kelly Williams, 14-4, as B-Meg took the opening quarter at 27-19.

The Llamados stretched their lead to 15 at 36-21 before the Texters regrouped and zoomed ahead at the turn.

NOTES: The FIBA Asia Champions Cup has been moved from June to October, derailing Talk n Text’s supposed participation in the tourney. With the October schedule in conflict with the 2012-2013 PBA Philippine Cup, it’s uncertain now which team the SBP will field in the Asian inter-club championship…..Barako Bull and Powerade pursued their Doug Kramer-Jondan Salvador trade and eventually got the approval of PBA commissioner Chito Salud with the Energy adding a future pick in the deal….. Barako has signed up former Providence stalwart Jamine Peterson as import while Petron Blaze is now after former Chicago Bull Eddie Basden.

The scores:

Talk n Text 92 – Castro 25, Dillinger 16, De Ocampo 15, Harvey 11, Reyes 11, Fonacier 6, Alapag 4, Williams 2, Peek 2, Gamalinda 0, Carey 0.

B-Meg 82 – Bowles 33, Yap 27, Intal 5, Villanueva 5, De Ocampo 4, Barroca 2, Urbiztondo 2, Devance 2, Simon 2, Acuna 0, Gaco 0, Burtscher 0, Pingris 0, Reavis 0.

Quarterscores: 19-27, 50-48, 67-63, 92-82