Amer knocks in jumper as Blackwater edges Meralco

Blackwater’s Baser Amer torments former team Meralco. –PBA IMAGES

Blackwater is not the most talented club in the PBA, but it is the hardest working and the most unselfish in the bunch in the Philippine Cup, according to coach Ariel Vanguardia.

And the Bossing showed that on Thursday night.

The rookie reputed to be the franchise’s savior finally showed up, but Blackwater continued relying on its lesser heralded standouts, with Baser Amer kissing a jumper off the board with 1.7 seconds remaining to seal a thrilling 90-89 victory over Meralco at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

The league’s perennial doormat is now tied for second in the standings with a third straight win padding a 4-1 (win-loss) record.

“Every game is like a championship game for us. We’re not really the most talented team. But you know, we’re probably one of the hardest working and probably one of the most unselfish. The guys just bought into that unselfishness,” said Vanguardia.

No. 1 overall pick Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, dubbed as the guy central to Blackwater’s plans for a franchise facelift, finally saw action on Thursday after missing the first four games due to a finger injury. He finished with eight points in a limited stint.

The Bossing instead went to the likes of Ato Ular, who had 19 points and 15 rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, with JVee Casio also chipping in 19 and six assists. Casio nailed a triple that gave Blackwater an 88-87 lead, one that Meralco’s Chris Newsome erased with a bucket in the last 6.5 seconds.

That was when Amer, who had struggled all night from the field, came to the rescue. The former Bolts playmaker finished with just six points on 3-of-11 shooting.