Baser Amit hit a game-winning jumper with 1.7 seconds left to lift Blackwater past Meralco, 90-89, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Thursday, June 30.
Amer made up for his dismal 3-of-11 shooting clip and capped his six-point performance with a crucial jumper to give the Bossing their fourth win in five games and his former team its third loss.
It was rookie Renato Ular, though, who led Blackwater with a career-high performance of 19 points and 15 rebounds while veteran Jvee Casio, who also fired a clutch three-pointer down the stretch, had 19 points as well built on five triples on top of six assists.
Rey Suerte added 15 points while Rashawn Mccarthy had 12 points and seven assists for the Bossing.
"I don't want to take the credit away from the boys. That's a champion, a semifinal-finals team we faced head on," said Blackwater head coach Ariel Vanguardia. "We know they led in the beginning. We caught up. We led two times by double-digits by two times it's just they're very disciplined they're very hard to stop and it came down to the last possession.
"Believe me, I told Baser before the game, 'Baser, this will be your game. Tatalunin mo 'yong dati mong team.' And he delivered. He delivered. Kahit itanong niyo sa kanya... so it takes a former Meralco player to beat them," Vanguardia added.
Tied at 85-all after an Ular layup, Chris Newsome sank a pair of free throws to retake a two-point lead with 32 seconds left in the payoff period.
Casio's heroics pumped life for the Bossing as he drained a three-pointer with 16 seconds to spare off a broken play en route to an 88-87 lead.
Newsome, however, did not waver and once again provided the last spark for the Bolts and delivered yet another crucial jumpshot, 89-88, with 10 ticks remaining.
It was at this moment when Amer, who was struggling from the field, redeemed himself and hit the game-winning jumper in the ensuing play.
Meralco was left with no timeouts which forced Newsome to drive center court and launch a three-pointer but to no avail as the Bolts sustained a 3-3 record.
Newsome spearheaded the Bolts but his 23-point outing went into naught along with six rebounds, six assists, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
Bong Quinto added 18 points, eight assists, and four rebounds while Chris Banchero and Raymond Almazan had 14 and 12 points, respectively.