The Marqus Blakely of old finally showed up for the Blackwater Elite in Antipolo City on Saturday evening.
The veteran PBA import showcased his versatility once more, racking up 13 points, 14 rebounds, eight blocks, seven assists, and a steal in nearly 35 minutes of play to help his side take down the NorthPort Batang Pier, 107-98.
“That’s the old Blakely we know: Protecting the rim, hustling, defending, giving assists,” lauded coach Aris Dimaunahan of the 30-year-old, who’s now in his seventh PBA tour of duty.
“Para[ng] na siyang Mr. All-Around.”
“I think I’m just a little bit more comfortable in the system, knowing what my teammates need out of me,” said Blakely, who came in as a replacement for the injured Aaron Fuller.
“With Magnolia and with TNT, we had more veteran leadership so it’s easier to mesh. With Magnolia, I was coming back each year, so we just kept on building. It was kinda like a new start coming here, figuring out everyone else’s likes.”
But beyond his own showing, Blakely, an eight-year pro, is more satisfied with how his young team took the win.
The Elite were sitting comfortably already on an 18-point cushion. The Batang Pier then furiously charged back and deflated that lead to as low as seven, 98-105, following a Mychal Ammons bucket with 33.3 seconds left to play.
That run then halted when Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. calmly canned his freebies with 25.7 seconds to go. Blakely then made a huge stop just seconds later, swatting away Nico Elorde’s three-point attempt to seal the victory.
Blakely tipped his hat off to his teammates for a job well done in their first win of the conference (1-2).
“For eight minutes or so we slacked off and they came back, but we weathered the storm which is good. For a young team like this, it’s huge… To take the hit and keep moving. Hats off to my teammates.”
