Justin Brownlee teamed up with the Meralco Bolts, but could not help them get over the line as they still failed to advance to the East Asia Super League playoffs for the third straight year.
There was no Justin Brownlee magic for the Meralco Bolts Wednesday night, Feb. 11.
Brownlee knew his performance left much to be desired in the Bolts' eventual 79-88 loss to the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the East Asia Super League.
The naturalized Filipino wound up with 12 points on a woeful 3-for-13 shooting from the field for Meralco, who got the boot in the regional showcase.
The Bolts finished third at 3-3 to miss out on the playoffs anew, while the Golden Kings tallied a 5-1 mark to top Group B and head directly to the semifinals.
Still, the resident Ginebra import took pride in the Bolts' furious fightback after being down by as many as 20 points.
“Just got to give lots of credit to our team. We fought hard. We fought through a lot of adversity out there,” Brownlee said at the end of the match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Meralco got caught in a 17-point whirlpool early on, falling behind 34-51, with under two minutes remaining in the second period.
But while the Golden Kings looked to cruise toward the victory, the Bolts kickstarted their comeback try as they switched it up on the defensive end.
Ismael Romero soars for the basket. | Photo: RM Chua/One Sports
Ismael Romero rallied the Bolts, pushing them closer, 74-80, on his back-to-back field goals with 3:17 remaining.
Romero then canned a freebie and drilled in a layup to keep Meralco within striking distance, 79-84 with just 48 seconds left to play.
But Shuto Sakihama and Vic Law snuffed out Romero and the Bolts' hopes as they steeled their nerves to seal the victory from the free throw line.
Romero carried Meralco on his shoulders with his 24 points and nine rebounds, while NLEX import Cady Lalanne delivered 18 points, five rebounds, a steal and a block.
Sina Vahedi was held to just 10 points, four assists and two steals.
“Honestly, we didn’t play with a rhythm that we like, probably for not being with each other playing games like the Golden Kings,” said Brownlee.
“(But) I’m glad of our effort.”
Yoshiyuki Matsuwaki set the tone early for the Japan B.LEAGUE powerhouse Ryukyu, with his back-to-back treys giving them a 37-22 lead in the second period.
He wound up with 18 points on six three-pointers.
Law turned in 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, Ryo Sadohara and Ryuichi Kishimoto scored 13 points apiece, while Jaco Cooley had 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Golden Kings.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.