SEAN Anthony stressed Terrence Romeo didn’t disrupt GlobalPort’s chemistry in his return to the team during a close 104-100 loss to Phoenix in the PBA Philippine Cup.
The Batang Pier had been coping well without their flamboyant superstar, turning to a balanced effort led by Stanley Pringle, Kelly Nabong, and Anthony to split their first 10 games of the conference.
While he picked up from where he left off offensively with a team-high 20 points on 18 attempts in 30 minutes off the bench, Romeo couldn’t lead the Batang Pier to the victory as a late rally fell short.
Still, Anthony insisted Romeo wasn't a distraction to the team’s recent fluid play, instead putting the blame on the Batang Pier’s early shooting woes.
“No. Phoenix came out and they just had a solid game plan to start the game and we shot the ball horribly,” Anthony said. “I think we shot 17 percent from 3 and they were forcing rotations to make us hit jumpers and we couldn't execute and make them.”
Romeo provided a huge spark off the bench, scattering 11 points in the second quarter, alone, as he conspired with Stanley Pringle to form their familiar one-two punch.
“Terrence is a deadly weapon,” Anthony said. “I think he had 20 tonight so I mean, on a night like tonight that we're struggling to make baskets, it was a big help to have him there.
“Him and Stanley looked like they were working well together. It's good to see,” he added.
And Anthony, who finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals, is glad to have Romeo back in time for their playoff campaign.
“Terrence is a valuable asset,” Anthony said. “You saw him come in, create and do whatnot. We're all adjusting and I think it could only get better, right? We adjusted in the second half and you saw how valuable that was.”