By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The TNT Tropang Giga pulled off a wire-to-wire victory over the Blackwater Bossing, 109-93, and racked up its second consecutive win in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup, on December 19, 2024, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
With the much-needed victory before the import-laced conference takes a break from the Christmas festivity, the Tropang Giga just recorded its first-ever winning streak in the Commissioner’s Cup.
Bolstering TNT in his return from an injury was Jayson Castro, the squad’s veteran leader and premier floor general, who didn’t need any warm-ups after dropping 16 points in the win.
Despite missing the first three games of the season, Castro came back as he never left, schooling the loose Blackwater perimeter defense to pile up his points from the shaded lane.
Castro was too much for Blackwater as he sliced and diced through their defensive schemes that allowed their paint to collapse every time he drove hard to the basket.
With the kind of coverage that Castro attracted to the Bossing, TNT’s pool of three-point shooters had an easy time gaining open looks from downtown and helped them grab a commanding double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter.
Blackwater immediately adjusted and retaliated when their import George King started out hot, but a momentum-stealing late run led by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Calvin Oftana helped the Tropang Giga maintain their advantage heading into the second half.
In the second half, TNT banked on Hollis-Jefferson’s decision-making when they let him handle the rock, setting up multiple hand-off plays to Castro and Oftana.
The result paid off dividends as TNT was able to establish their largest lead of the ball game at 18 points and capped off the final 12 minutes with a steady approach.
That approach? Give the ball to Hollis-Jefferson at the post and wait for magical things to happen.
The plan was simple. When the Bossing decided to trap the crafty import at the post, the seasoned Hollis-Jefferson just pitched the swivel pass to the open corner shooter or the cutting guard at the top of the key.
That sequence continued until the final buzzer, rewarding the Tropang Giga with another lopsided victory to improve their PBA record to 2-2.
Hollis-Jefferson had an all-around showing for TNT after stuffing the stat sheets with 22 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Calvin Oftana, who is coming off a 42-point explosion in their last win over Magnolia, backstopped Hollis-Jefferson and Castro with 18 markers built from five made three-pointers.
