Living up to his name, Orin Catacutan showed his no fear character just when his team needed it the most.
The 6-foot-3 forward took matters into his own hands and delivered the game-winning bucket with 1.6 seconds left as Valenzuela escaped with a thrilling 70-68 win over Parañaque in the MPBL Sixth Season at the Olivarez College Gym Tuesday.
Amid the heckling from the crowd and the pressure mounted by a boisterous Parañaque folks, Catacutan responded to the challenge and rewarded the trust given to him by his head coach, Aldrin Morante.
“Grabe ang puso noon, talagang titira’t-titira yun, kaya binigay namin sa kanya,” said Morante. ”
Catacutan’s basket quelled a potential endgame collapse for Valenzuela, which saw its six-point lead entering the final two minutes wiped out quickly by Parañaque’s five-point swing in a span of 12 seconds.
But Valenzuela showed nerves of steel as even after Jielo Razon put the Patriots ahead, Dennis Santos put the Classic back on the driver’s seat with a lay up to shove his team back on top, 68-67, with 43 seconds left.
Keith Pido split his charities after a long lull following malfunction in the game clock, but it left Catacutan to take over for one last play for the Classic.
