Justin Arana (left) finished with a key basket for Converge. —August Delacruz
ANTIPOLOSITY — For the second consecutive year in conference play, Alec Stockton made clutch plays to lead the Converges to a comeback against their eternal rivals.
It may not be a playoff game, but Stockton and the FiberXers defeated the Magnolia Hotshots 93-91 here at the Ynares Center on Sunday, with a game-tying 3-pointer and Justin Justin heading into the final game. I was able to feed Alana and make up for a significant deficit. Winning basket.
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“The last second shot was in my hands, and I wanted to take it,” said Stockton, who hit a buzzer-beating jumper to defeat San Miguel Beer and give Converge the lead in Game 3 of the Governor’s Cup quarterfinals. I just have to work on it,” he said. They dragged the series to a decisive Game 5, which they ultimately lost.
Stockton declined to take full credit for his recent heroics, but coach Franco Atienza paid tribute to the player he has known since the 2021-22 PBA Alaska team’s final season.
“Even when you saw him coming out of FEU, his only skill was playing defense,” Atienza said, praising Stockton for putting in a lot of work in training sessions. He quickly clarified that it wasn’t a knock of sorts.
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“Watching him evolve into an All-Star-caliber (player), I believe he is,” Atienza added. “Whatever his hunger was when he was still a one-dimensional player, it’s still the same.
He might be hungry for more. He is the mark of an ambitious baseball player. ”
Stockton had 18 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, helping the FiberXers erase a 20-point deficit in the third quarter and end the first week of the elimination phase with a 2-1 record.
Arana scored on Stockton’s bounce pass with five seconds left, as the locals compensated for the offensive woes of import player Cheych Diallo, who was held to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting, and scored 24 points. He recorded a point and 7 rebounds.
Diallo had 16 rebounds for Converge and will take 11 days off before returning to action against North Port on Dec. 12 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
By then, FiberXers may have acquired No. 1 overall pick Justin Baltazar. At the time of writing, Baltazar had started the MPBL National Finals showdown between Pampanga and Quezon in Dubai. INQ
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