BACOLOD -- Japeth Aguilar and his team bungled what's a clear PBA All-Star won game here Sunday. If any, a consolation for the Team Japeth skipper was a piece of the MVP honors and a spot in the elite list of players who have won such honors more than once.
With a classic nine-point binge from Robert Bolick at endgame, including a five-point play with 17.8 ticks left, Team Mark forged a 140-140 draw with Team Japeth in the classic 2024 PBA All-Star Game presented by ArenaPlus at the University of St. La Salle Gym here.
Bolick scored just 13 in the game but was the man of the moment at endgame of the Bacolod highlight event that would be remembered for a long, long time.
In the end, Bolick and Aguilar shared the MVP honors, making the Barangay Ginebra center/forward the ninth player to win the accolade more than once.
Aguilar joined the elite list including Benjie Paras, Vergel Meneses, Asi Taulava, Jayjay Helterbrand,
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Matthew Wright, Terrence Romeo, Jeff Chan and Arwind Santos. Aguilar was co-winners with Santos in Calasiao, Pangasinan in 2019.
Suddenly becoming an All-Star legend was Bolick with his legendary play.
Coach Tim Cone said he was teasing Calvin Oftana he made Bolick a "legend" with his unnecessary foul, bringing the eventual co-MVP to the line to complete a "five-point play" and forge the stalemate.
Cone said the Bolick stuff would be remembered for a long time, like the Robert Jaworski-Ramon Fernandez winning play in the 1989 All Stars.
"Kay CJ (Perez) dapat talaga ito, scoring 35 points. Noong una, feeling ko hindi ata ako pang All-Stars, pero sabi ko 'sige mamaya, ako naman,'" said Bolick, shortly after receiving the MVP trophy.
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"Binigay na sa akin ni Japeth, kasi marami na siya," Bolick also said.
But more than anything else, Bolick was happy they were able to make the fans happy.
Aguilar and Cone expressed the same, though, denied of a victory and settling for a draw.(SB)
