The long misery of Blackwater finally came to an end Wednesday, March 9 as it pulled off a stunning 101-100 win over Magnolia Pambansang Manok after 29 consecutive losses in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Barkley Ebona scored the go-ahead basket off a turnover with 10.5 seconds left before rookie Rey Suerte blocked Jackson Corpuz’s layup attempt in the game’s final play, prompting the Bossing to celebrate like they have won a championship.
Blackwater won for the first time since Oct. 17, 2020 when it beat NLEX during the Philippine Cup bubble in Angeles City, Pampanga.
From there, the Bossing endured one year and four months of struggle, eventually breaking the PBA record for most consecutive defeats and in the process made a coaching change by tapping Ariel Vanguardia in lieu of Nash Racela.
Another winless conference, which has never happened in league history, loomed going into the contest against a Magnolia side that was already assured of the top seed in the quarterfinals.
But Blackwater had other ideas, leaning on a number of heroes that included import Shawn Glover, Jvee Casio, Suerte, Ebona, Paul Desiderio and even rookie center Andre Paras.
Glover had 33 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals, Suerte put up 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, Casio and Paras dropped 12 points each and Ebona and Desiderio added eight apiece.
Twice the Bossing led by 11 in the fourth before the Hotshots rallied behind a huge performance from Mark Barroca, who scored 12 of his career-high 27 points in the fourth quarter including a layup that put his team ahead 100-99.
It appeared that Blackwater was on its way to another defeat after going empty-handed against the Magnolia defense, only for Barroca to lose the ball while being defended by Desiderio during a full court press.
Casio quickly found Ebona for the go-ahead layup to put Blackwater ahead anew. Barroca got the ball with the clock winding down and found a cutting Corpuz near the basket.
Suerte, however, thwarted Corpuz’s try underneath, putting the game and the skid to a dramatic conclusion.
Magnolia finished the eliminations at 9-2 but the defeat won’t affect its placing in the quarters.
With nothing at stake, the Hotshots sat out Jio Jalalon while Calvin Abueva was again in street clothes as they opted to have him ready in time for the playoffs.
Hotshots import Mike Harris, who had 21 points and 17 rebounds, sat out the final 2:50 after being called for a Flagrant Foul 1 while trying to stop Ebona from scoring.
The scores:
BLACKWATER 101 — Glover 33, Suerte 16, Paras 12, Casio 12, Ebona 8, Desiderio 8, Ayonayon 6, McCarthy 6, Melton 0, Washington 0, Amer 0, Amboludto 0.
MAGNOLIA 100 — Barroca 27, Harris 21, Dionisio 14, Lee 12, Wong 7, Reavis 5, Sangalang 5, Dela Rosa 4, Brill 3, Ahanmisi 2, Corpuz 0, Escoto 0.
Quarters: 16-21, 48-45, 71-66, 101-100.