TERRAFIRMA'S bid to build up character is steadily gaining ground.
The Dyip hung tough in the face of the Meralco Bolts' furious fourth quarter fightback to eke out a 107-102 win in the PBA On Tour Sunday at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.
Eric Camson caught fire in the second half to finish with 30 points while Isaac Go and JP Calvo helped their burly forward along in the stretch that pointed Terrafirma to its second straight win in the preseason series presented by Arena Plus and sponsored by Bingo Plus.
"As a kuya dito sa team ko, kailangan kong maging good role model sa mga mas bata sa akin," said the 33-year-old Camson, who came off the bench to shoot an uber-efficient 12-of-16 from the field while also finishing with nine rebounds, two assists and as many steals.
Camson's explosion, which would have been a career-high in a regular season, was timely as top gunner Juami Tiongson was held down to only 21 points just two days after he notched a tournament-high 37.
Sponsored content:
"Hindi ko naman hinahanap 'yung score, siyempre si Juami talaga 'yung main gunner namin. So thank God nagkaroon ako ng opportunity, ibinigay sa akin ito. Thanks na na-deliver ko naman," added Camson, who scored 16 straight of his points in the third period to lead the Dyip to an 84-73 advantage.
"Kasi may gameplan sila kay Juami so... kailangang may mag-step up."
The victory came on the heels of the Dyip's more comfortable 110-96 victory over NLEX, boosting their record to an even 3-3. Camson bared it was a team decision to enjoy the feeling of winning two straight, something they have not savored since going on a three-game roll in the 2021 Philippine Cup.
"Before kaming mag-enter dito sa court, sabi namin: 'Guys, try naman kaya nating mag-back-to-back wins.' So siguro mas gutom lang kami sa kanila ngayon," said Camson.
Meralco, which was looking for a third straight win, did show its own resolve when it rallied around Cliff Hodge to fight back from a 77-89 deficit and even take a 93-90 lead.
Sponsored content:
But Tiongson's long two, Go's triple and five straight points by Camson gave Terrafirma back the lead, 101-95.
Bong Quinto's trey and Hodge's putback kept Meralco within 100-103, but Camson's basket and Calvo's drive practically sealed it for the Dyip with just 32 ticks left.
Allein Maliksi led all scorers with 33 points while Hodge wound up with 24 points and a gamehigh 15 rebounds with the last 14 of his markers coming in the fourth period. (NC)
