ANTIPOLO — Sedrick Barefield and new guy Robert Upshaw III dealt the killer blows from deep as Blackwater stunned Magnolia, 97-91, to barge into the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup win column on Sunday evening.
The Bossing faced a furious Hotshots comeback attempt down the stretch, but the tandem came through, with the combo guard nailing a three-pointer to push their lead back to six points, 87-81, with 1:59 remaining in the game.
And shortly after Ian Sangalang replied with a triple of his own, Upshaw showed his range by knocking down a four-pointer to make it a 91-84 spread with 58.6 seconds left, much to the delight of the crowd at the Ynares Center here.
Free throws by RK Ilagan, Christian David, and Barefield inside the final 36 seconds proved to be the final touches, capping off a 30-point fourth-quarter eruption that propelled the Bossing to win no. 1 after back-to-back losses.
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“That really goes to taking over down the stretch. I think that’s what you need from an import. He has to be reliable and be able to play at his highest or at his best, especially in the fourth quarter,” said Coach Jeff Cariaso of Upshaw.
“We were missing the local support, especially down the stretch, and today Sedrick took care of that,” added the former star-turned-mentor, as he equally gave props to the second overall pick of the 2024 Rookie Draft.
Upshaw finished with 35 points, highlighted by three four-pointers, alongside 14 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks in the 41 minutes he played.
Barefield, on the other hand, produced 26 points, 22 of which he made in the second half. He shot 8-of-16 from the floor, including 6-of-9 from three.
“He lifts us all up, so it’s great to have him,” said Barefield of his childhood friend and former Tainan TSG Ghosthawks teammate in the 32-year-old Upshaw.
The duo did carry much of the load offensively, but the others, such as Dave Murrell and Abu Tratter, came through with significant contributions to help Blackwater snap a 12-game losing skid dating back to the last conference.
An eight-game slide against Magnolia also came to an end following this result, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
“Everybody was involved in the game, and we were able to get a win to break a 12-game losing streak for the team,” offered Upshaw, who arrived Tuesday.
(C) PBA Images
Nuni Omot, on the other hand, had a game-high 38 points on 68.2-percent shooting alongside seven rebounds and nine assists, but his efforts still went down the drain as the Hotshots fell to their third loss in as many games.
Zavier Lucero made 15 points and six rebounds, while Ian Sangalang chipped in 12 points as they were the only other players in double digits for Magnolia.
The defeat couldn’t get any tougher for Coach LA Tenorio and his men, especially after appearing to be breaking the game open after establishing a 60-49 lead during the third, only to allow the opposition to come back strong.
In fact, the Bossing still won the said period, 31-30, and then continued the onslaught as they poured 61 points in the second half to end the game.
The Scores:
Blackwater 97 – Upshaw 35, Barefield 26, Murrell 9, Tratter 8, David 7, Ilagan 4, Escoto 4, Mendoza 2, Una 2, Andrade 0, Jopia 0.
Magnolia 91 – Omot 38, Lucero 15, Sangalang 12, Gomez de Liano 6, Lastimosa 5, Dela Rosa 5, Laput 4, Barroca 4, Koon 2, Andrada 0, Escoto 0, Lee 0.
Quarterscores: 20-24, 36-42, 67-72, 97-91.
