By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Sidney Onwubere capped his solid game with a go-ahead basket as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings scored an 81-80 overtime victory against Blackwater Bossing in the 2023 PBA on Tour at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City on Wednesday night, June 21.
Trailing 77-80 midway in the extension period, the Gin Kings pulled closer at 79-80 on two free throws by Von Pessumal before they took the lead at 81-80 on a putback by Onwubere with 45 seconds left.
The Bossing still had a chance to snatch the victory with less than a second remaining in the contest, but sophomore center Tyrus Hill misfired on his two free throw attempts to allow the Gin Kings to escape with the win.
Onwubere top-scored for the Gin Kings with 25 points, with 16 coming in the first two quarters, to go with 11 rebounds, one steal and a block as they recorded their second win in five games.
Jeremiah Gray added 22 markers, with four three-point conversions, to go with eight rebounds and five assists, while Nard John Pinto had 13 markers, five assists and four rebounds for Barangay Ginebra.
“We’re just really blessed na mabigyan ng pagkakataon na maglaro kasi itong PBA on Tour, ito ang chance na makapagpakita kami ng laro namin,” Onwubere, who was named as the Player of the Game, said.
“Sabi ng ani coach [Richard del Rosario], huwag naming tignan na wala ang mga veteran players namin kasi ito ang chance namin. It’s boosting our confidence,” the former Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals forward added.
James Sena finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, Jeth Troy Rosario had double-double 12 points and 11 boards, while RK Ilagan and Rashawn McCarthy ended with 10 markers each as the Bossing dropped to 3-3.
Meanwhile, Converge FiberXers relied on Jeo Ambohot’s torrid shooting as they scored a 109-84 victory over TNT Tropang Giga for their second straight win. The FiberXers improved to 3-3, while the Tropang Giga dropped to 0-4.
Ambohot finished with 31 points, including eight three-point conversions, Jeron Teng added 19 markers, while Justin Arana contributed double-double 18 points and 14 rebounds for the FiberXers.
GINEBRA 81 — Onwubere 25, Gray 22, Pinto 13, Mariano 9, R. Aguilar 8, David 2, Pessumal 2, Dillinger 0, Gumaru 0, Aurin 0, Salcedo 0, Cu 0.
BLACKWATER 80 — Sena 18, Rosario 12, Ilagan 10, McCarthy 10, Casio 9, Digregorio 9, Ular 7, Hill 4, Suerte 1, Banal 0, Escoto 0, Ayonayon 0, Publico 0.
Quarterscores: 29-17, 47-38, 59-61, 77-77, 81-80./ASC, WDJ