Blackwater nailed its first win of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup after a 114-98 conquest of Meralco on Thursday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Bossing leaned on Sedrick Barefield and George King to pull away in the fourth quarter, leaving behind a Bolts side that had to make do with an all-Filipino lineup after DJ Kennedy became the latest to join their injury list.
Barefield finished with a season-high 33 points, five rebounds, and nine assists while King produced a double-double of 32 points and 14 rebounds as they connived for the crucial run that shifted the momentum in their favor for good.
“We didn’t start the conference how we wanted. But Coach told me this morning, he texted me, he said, ‘Don’t let the past linger,‘” said Barefield.
“He told me that he has confidence in me. I took that to heart. That kinda just got me prepared for the day, to just leave everything behind us and try to give it our best today,” added the second overall pick of the 2024 Draft.
Barefield nailed the go-ahead jumper first, before King completed back-to-back three-point plays for an 8-0 run toward the 93-86 lead with 6:58 to go.
A perfect trip to the foul line by King and then another bucket by Barefield spread the gap to 107-93 with 2:44 left in the game and Blackwater would go on to cruise to the victory, barging into the win column after a 0-3 start.
The Bossing also received contributions from Christian David and James Kwekuteye as the young duo had 17 and 10 points, respectively.
Coach Jeff Cariaso’s wards shot 52.6 percent from that floor and that impressive accuracy helped a great deal in dealing Meralco its first loss of the conference after a 3-0 start following wins over Phoenix, Rain or Shine, and Terrafirma.
Chris Newsome made 22 points and seven rebounds, while Bong Quinto had 19 as the tandem led a team that didn’t have Kennedy due to a calf problem.
Cliff Hodge notched a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds with four assists, while Aaron Black added a 12-7-6 stat line for the Bolts.
The Scores:
Blackwater 114 – Barefield 33, King 32, David 17, Kwekuteye 10, Suerte 6, Ilagan 6, Chua 4, Casio 4, Montalbo 2, Hill 0, Guinto 0, Jopia 0, Escoto 0.
Meralco 98 – Newsome 22, Quinto 19, Hodge 13, Black 12, Jose 8, Rayson 7, Rios 5, Torres 5, Caram 4, Pasaol 3, Pascual 0.
Quarterscores: 28-21, 48-49, 83-79, 114-98.
