By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Without a doubt, Jayson Castro is still the heart and soul of the stacked TNT Tropang Giga squad.
With 1:18 left in the fourth quarter and TNT clinging to an 87-86 lead, the veteran guard sized RJ Jazul up and unloaded a dagger three-pointer to put his squad up by a comfortable margin and eventually take Game 1 in the PBA semifinals against the Phoenix Super LPG Fuelmasters, 95-92.
Calvin Abueva answered the Castro basket as soon as possession shifted to the Fuelmasters but the “Best point guard in Asia” cashed in on another basket with 27 seconds left.
Jazul and company tried to fight until the end and managed to cut the TNT lead to just 1 after converting a trey but it was Castro who once again iced the game with his two crucial free throws.
Castro’s dominant outing had him tallying 20 huge points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals despite entering the series opener questionable due to a calf injury.
Phoenix turned it into a dogfight as soon as their guards caught fire. Their pesky defense and consistent shooting from the three-point line kept them in the game with Jazul and RR Garcia provided the much-needed spark off the bench.
Bobby Ray Parks and RR Pogoy also answered the call when it mattered the most as both gunners sank momentum-building baskets to halt Phoenix’s scoring burst in the fourth.
Parks finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and four steals off clutch drives to the basket with three minutes left in the game while Pogoy chipped in 16 points.
The Fuelmasters will seek to bounce back and are hopeful that Matthew Wright will be 100% in Game 2 after injuring his ankle in the first quarter of their Game 1 clash.
