By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Calvin Oftana played hero ball for the TNT Tropang Giga after burying the buzzer-beating follow-up shot against the San Miguel Beermen, 105-103, in the ongoing PBA Governor’s Cup last February 19, 2023, held at the Philsports Arena.
With 13.1 seconds remaining and the game deadlocked at 103-all, it was clear that TNT’s drawn play was for import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to score in an isolation situation.
The former Brooklyn Nets small forward was able to get past the tight defense of San Miguel’s import Cameron Clark but his leftie flip shot got over the board. Fortunately, Oftana was the first to sky for the rebound and immediately cashed in the buzzer-beating shot just in the nick of time.
TNT thought they already had the game in the bag after building a four-point lead with only two minutes remaining in the back-and-forth.
The veteran and clutch Jason Castro took matters into his own hands in back-to-back possessions and scored a tough contested layup and a sneaky reverse that spearheaded their 4-0 spurt.
However, persistence paid off for the Beermen as CJ Perez’s second-chance efforts pulled them within a deuce, 100-98, with 1:18 remaining in the game.
TNT missed a chance to extend their lead during their offensive possession which San Miguel took advantage of after a beautifully executed play off the inbounds.
It was a classic Beermen decoy play using Marcio Lassiter as the screener from the top of the key that freed up June Mar Fajardo down the lane, tying things up at 100-all after an open bank shot.
Castro responded on the other end with 45 seconds left and hoisted a long three-point bomb from the right elbow which barely hit the net to give the lead back to the Tropang Giga, 103-100.
The see-saw battle didn’t end there as Clark punished TNT’s loose paint defense and converted a much-needed foul-counted play that equalized the game again at 103-all.
Oftana then saved the best for last and scored his 14th point after the heroic shot against the towering San Miguel frontcourt.
The former NLEX Road Warriors superstar finished the ball game with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists while rewarding TNT the solo first place in the import-laced conference.
“Calvin was just in the right place at the right time. He’s been a great, great rebounder for us and just one of those rebounds that he got there to finish. That was just it, Calvin being around the basket,” said TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa.
Castro led all TNT locals with 21 points, eight assists, and five rebounds while the 41-year-old high-flying Kelly Williams contributed 16 points.
On the other hand, the Beermen had another stellar output from Perez who wrapped up the game with 25 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
However, SMB’s Fajardo, the league’s only six-time MVP, was only limited to 12 points and 13 rebounds after dominating his last game against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
