PBA: Guevarra, Hodge combine for 63 as Greats and Stalwarts end game in tie

Rey Guevarra and Cliff Hodge combined for 63 points, including a flurry of dunks as the PBA Greats and the PBA Stalwarts ended their exhibition game in a 136-all tie, Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Guevarra was also named MVP of the game.

Willie Miller added 18 for the Greats, which saw the likes of Freddie Abuda, Johndel Cardel and Franz Pumaren play. The Stalwarts were led by Mark Cardona who had 31 points, while Justin Melton tallied 21 markers, as he and Guevarra carried over the competition from the Slam Dunk Contest. Ronjay Buenafe added 22 points, along with the game-tying three with 19 seconds remaining. Noli Locsin and Richard Del Rosario also lent quality minutes for the Stalwarts.

Topex Robinson's easy baskets gave the Greats an 111-100 lead heading into the final seven minutes of the game. Mark Cardona and Justin Melton continued to play great music, leading into one of several Melton slams, as another defensive stop by the duo cut the lead to five, 114-109.

Hodge wasn't done, though, hitting triples to bump the lead to nine with 5:10 remaining. Cardona and Buenafe kept fighting, finding their spots to cut the lead to four with 3:15 to go, 124-120. With a pure guard lineup of Mercado, Buenafe, Tiu, Cardona and Melton, the Greats found their way inside anew, building an eight-point lead leading into the final two minutes.

The Stalwarts stuck to their guns, as Buenafe and Cardona hit back-to-back threes to get within four, 132-128. A Mercado steal led to a Cardona drive, but Hodge dunked on Tiu for another four-point buffer. In the final minute, Miller drove in for another two, but Melton connected from deep to make it a one-possession affair, 136-133. The Stalwarts had 24.1 seconds to force a draw, and a quick hit from Buenafe at the top of the key knotted things up at 136-all with 19.5 remaining. After a timeout, the Greats went to Miller for a post-up on Cardona. His tough turnaround however bounced off the rim to end the game.

 

Noli Locsin opened up the scoring in the first with a move inside to the delight of the crowd. The Greats had an answer in Cliff Hodge and Freddy Abuda, while Chris Tiu and John Wilson converted from deep. Jonas Villanueva started humming for the Greats, as a Hodge outlet put them up 14-12.

Abuda and Hodge strung together two more makes, but the Stalwarts stayed in the game with their three-point sniping. Ronjay Buenafe and Villanueva exchanged treys, as Hodge finished another dunk on the break, 23-17. A Stalwarts triple, thanks to Tiu, ushered in the final two minutes of the first, and Villanueva took it back with his own version at the other end. The period ended with the Greats ahead, 26-20.

A 7-2 swing by the Stalwarts, capped off by a Justin Melton drive cut the lead to one, 28-27, though Guevarra continued to push the tempo for extra baskets, 34-29. Justin Melton replied with his own slam, as the current players led the way in the up-and-down game.

Willie Miller looked to keep the Stalwarts at bay, as five from Casio built a six-point spread anew, 45-39. Another platoon substitution by the Stalwarts tried to give Boggs Adornado's squad a shot in the arm heading into the final 3:18 of the half. The three-guard combo of Tiu, Mercado and Wilson cut the lead to two before Guevarra struck anew, 51-47. With minimal interior defense, the Greats tried to end the period on top, 57-52, but a John Wilson three and a Noli Locsin basket knotted it up at 57-all heading into the half.

The Stalwarts got a taste of the lead early in the third with a pair of John Wilson three's, but Johndel Cardel proved that his halftime shoot-around was successful, as he strung together eight straight, 65-63. Wilson continued to play the passing lanes, though, while Abuda found some space underneath. Cliff Hodge's slam got the crowd going, but it was the surprise throwdown from Noli Locsin that stole the show. Cardel, Abuda and Locsin kept their teams clicking midway through the game, as the Greats found themselves ahead nine after a Villanueva trey, 78-69.

Scoring picked up after the timeout, as Melton, Locsin and Mercado cut the lead for the Stalwarts. A Richard Del Rosario trey and a pair of Cardona makes cut the 11-point lead to four, but Miller, Hodge and Guevarra had no problems getting to the paint. In the final minute, Hodge, Guevarra and Melton indulged the crowd with a dunk contest, as Cardona beat the buzzer to cut the lead to seven, 101-94. - AMD, GMA News



The scores:

GREATS 136 - Guevarra 34, Hodge 29, Miller 18, Villanueva 17, Cardel 12, Abuda 11, Casio 9, Robinson 6, Pumaren 0

STALWARTS 136 - Cardona 31, Buenafe 22, Melton 21, Wilson 18, Locsin 18, Tiu 13, Mercado 8, Del Rosario 5, Bachmann 0

Quarter scoring: 26-20, 57-57, 101-94, 136-136