Jayson Castro lifts Talk ‘N Text past Meralco

MANILA, Philippines – After scoring just 5 points barely a week ago in a Game 4 Finals loss against the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers, Jayson Castro had that look on his face. 

He had that fiery, determined, and focused look in his eyes during the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters first game in the 2014 PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup on Wednesday, May 21 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The speedy and crafty point guard exploded in the final frame with 14 of is total 21 points to carry Talk ‘N Text over the Meralco Bolts, 105-99, for their first win on a new road to bagging a championship.  

Understandably still trying to gain back his confidence after a tough loss in the previous Commissioner’s Cup, Castro felt his way throughout the first 3 quarters, scoring only 3 points in the first, 4 in the second, and none in the third. 

But seeing the Bolts slash the Texters’ once double-digit lead to just a precarious 75-72 heading into the payoff period, Castro’s demeanor changed. 

From the buzzer signaling the start of the fourth, Castro was on beast mode. His finger prints were all over everything Talk ‘N Text did, keeping them afloat as Meralco continued to pound on the Texters and exchanged baskets with them for half of the last period.  

It was at the 6:19 mark that Castro finally gave Talk ‘N Text some breathing room with two free throws to make it an 88-85 lead. 

But Meralco was too pesky, yearning to bounce back from their first loss against Barako Bull.  

Gary David (15 points) hit a long range bomb to push the Bolts ahead, 90-88 with 6:06 to play. 

The nip-and-tuck trend raged on until Cliff Hodge, Meralco’s leading scorer for this game with 24 points and 11 rebounds, came up with a 7-0 spurt built on an emphatic jam, a putback and a huge triple to give Meralco some cushion, 97-92, heading into the final two minutes. 

But then came Castro, completing a three-point play to cut the deficit to two, 95-97, and with the help of a masterful spin move by Ranidel de Ocampo (22 points, 6 rebounds), knotted the count at 97 with 1:07 remaining. 

Asia’s best point guard then knocked down a momentum-crushing trey with 44.3 seconds left to break free of Meralco’s grip, 100-97.

After that it was also Castro who put the finishing touches on their victory with his steady hand at the stripe. 

“It was a good way to start the third conference,” said Talk ‘N Text head coach Norman Black. “I told the players that the best way to get back into the groove was to come out and get a win today, to put the Finals behind us. And the players came out and responded, they played very, very well.”

Black commended how his import Othyus Jeffers managed to quickly blend in for this game despite only practicing with the team thrice due to last conference’s Finals. 

Jeffers paced the Texters with 38 points, going two-of-3 from long range and 12-of-14 from the line, and grabbed 13 rebounds as well. 

“We’re hoping to get him in better shape and get him blended with the team, and hopefully over the next few days we’ll be able to accomplish that,” said Black. 

This win served as a means for Talk ‘N Text to get rid of the heavy monkey on its back – one that represented the bitterness of having gone 13-0 through the eliminations and semifinals of the Commissioner’s Cup, only to fall in 4 games against a seemingly hungrier team. 

And Black wasn’t afraid to admit the effect that loss had on his team. 

“We’re coming off of a finals loss, so you expect there’s going to be a little problem with confidence at the beginning. It’s gonna take a while for them to get back in the groove again and get their confidence back,” explained Black. 

“Any time you lose a game, not just the Finals, sometimes in the next game it’s hard to get your confidence back. Sometimes it takes the whole first quarter before you get back into playing the type of basketball you want to play. But in the end we got the win, that’s all I’m concerned about at this point.” 

Talk ‘N Text can only hope that this time around, it will be their turn to hoist a trophy again.  

Scores

TALK N’ TEXT 105 – Jeffers 38, De Ocampo 22, Castro 21, Carey 7, Fonacier 6, Williams 4, Alapag 3, Seigle 2, Canaleta 2, Reyes Ryan 0, Reyes Rob 0, Baclao 0.

MERALCO 99 – Hodge 24, Williams 20, David 15, Hugnatan 12, Dillinger 12, Salvacion 6, Ildefonso 4, Bringas 2, Sena 2, Wilson 2, Timberlake 0.

Quarter scores: 26-19, 50-43, 75-72,105-99.  

– Rappler.com