PBA Stalwarts vs Greats game ends in draw

MANILA, Philippines – A game filled with thunderous jams and three-pointers by Filipino basketball legends and young stars alike ended in a draw, 136-all, on Friday, April 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena. 

The Greats were leading for most of the contest thanks to the 29 points of Cliff Hodge and the 34 points of newly crowned slam dunk co-champion Rey Guevarra. 

Guevarra, who was flying and dunking all over the place, was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the game. 

“Medyo nakaka-hype eh (It did contribute to making me feel the hype),” he said when asked if his slam dunk competition win spiked his momentum.

“Nandito lang kami para pasayahin yung mga fans ng PBA,” he said after the game. “Honor ‘to na magkaroon pa ng ganitong award (MVP).” (We’re here to make the PBA fans happy. It’s an honor to have this award.)

But the Stalwarts made a run towards the end with Mark Cardona scoring on a basket to make it a two-point 132-130 game. Cliff Hodge then responded on the other end with 1:13 left to push the lead up again, 134-130. 

Willie Miller (18 points) scored the last basket for the Greats before Justin Melton and Ronjay Buenafe hit a pair of treys under the final minute to notch the final tally. 

Guevarra’s slam dunk co-champion Melton was also all over the place, keeping the crowd entertained with his high-impact throwdowns and three-pointers. He finished with 21 points on a perfect 6-of-6 field goals. 

Of the PBA legends, Noli Locsin of the Stalwarts showed that he still has it in him as he finished with a double-double, 18 points and 11 rebounds. The 43-year-old former Ginebra favorite even brought fans to their feet with a slam dunk. Richard del Rosario provided the entertaining antics on the floor and scored 5 points and grabbed 6 boards. 

Johnedel Cardel lit it up from deep and had 12 points on 3-of-6 treys, while Freddie Abuda was a near perfect 5-of-6 from the field for his 11 markers. 

Cardona and Buenafe added 31 and 22 points, respectively, for the Stalwarts as well. 

The Greats were bannered by former PBA players and now coaches Franz Pumaren, Fortunato Co, Johnedel Cardel, Freddie Abuda, and Topex Robinson. They were flanked by current players Cliff Hodge, Willie Miller, Jonas Villanueva, Rey Guevarra and JVee Casio with Atoy Co as their coach. 

Meanwhile, the Stalwarts had Noli Locsin, Richard del Rosario, William Adornado, Dickie Bachmann, and Jeffrey Cariaso, while Sol Mercado, Justin Melton, Mark Cardona, John Wilson, Ronjay Buenafe and Chris Tiu joined them. Their coach was Boggs Adornado. 

The PBA Stalwarts versus the PBA Greats is only the first of two big games for the 2014 PBA All-Star Weekend.  

The main event will be on Sunday, April 6, with Gilas Pilipinas playing the PBA All-Star selection. 

Scores

PBA Greats 136: Guevarra 34, Hodge 29, Miller 18, Villanueva 17, Cardel 12, Abuda 11, Casio 9, Robinson 6, Pumaren 0, Co 0, Romeo 0.

PBA Stalwarts 136: Cardona 31, Buenafe 22, Melton 21, Wilson 18, Locsin 18, Mercado 8, Del Rosario 5, Adornado 0, Bachmann 0, Cariaso 0. 

Quarters: 26-20, 57-57, 101-94, 136-136. 

– Rappler.com