Robert Bolick took the wheel down the stretch yet again to steer NLEX past the hard-fighting Blackwater, 84-81, to open their PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on the right foot, Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The star guard fired 24 points, 13 of which he made in the final period as he led the Road Warriors’ rally from down 69-75 with less than seven minutes left.
He knocked down a crucial four-pointer before following it up with a perfect trip to the line, and then dished out key assists to Cady Lalanne and Deschon Winston to put together a 12-0 run toward an 81-75 lead with 3:01 to spare.
Bolick would cap off his solid performance with a booming trifecta for the 84-79 advantage with 37 seconds left as the crew eventually escaped the hard-fighting Bossing–and completed the comeback from as much as 16 points down.
(C) PBA Images
“Alam naman ni Berto kung kailan siya kailangan,” Coach Jong Uichico said of the 30-year-old, who also seven assists and four steals. “Alam naman niya kung kailan niya kailangan mag-double effort, in terms of scoring.”
Import Lalanne had himself a commendable PBA debut with 22 points and 16 rebounds, which he laced with one assist, one steal, and two blocks.
Winston chipped in 10 points alongside five rebounds and three assists in his first game with NLEX after being traded by Converge in a three-team, multi-player deal that also involved Meralco that took place during the offseason.
“Everybody will go through this phase naman; in the first games, medyo kapaan, unless hindi ka nagpalit ng personnel,” reflected Uichico, whose team also welcomed veteran two-way winger Kevin Racal from the FiberXers as well.
“But in our case, we changed personnel, so we’re still looking for the right combination or chemistry. But mabuti na lang, na-overcome namin ‘yung magandang laro ng Blackwater,” the champion mentor added.
Hot was Blackwater to start the match, so much so that it actually built a 33-17 lead during the second chapter as the Road Warriors couldn’t get any rhythm.
Uichico and his charges, however, slowly chipped away at the deficit, first trimming the gap to just seven entering the break before owning the third quarter to make it just a 61-60 Bossing lead entering the final canto.
Then came the aforementioned run powered by Bolick, although they weren’t able to breathe a sigh of relief as the opposition continued to fight on.
In fact, Jeff Cariaso’s men even threatened when Daniel Ochefu scored off a quick bucket off a timeout to inch within three, 81-84, with 33.5 seconds left.
The momentum even appeared to have shifted in Blackwater’s favor when it forced NLEX to commit a 24-second shot clock violation with 8.4 seconds remaining, earning itself enough time as well to set up a shot.
Christian David had an extremely good look when he managed to get rid of Bolick’s defense off a fake, but his three with 1.2 seconds left went short, ultimately enabling the Road Warriors to walk away with the W.
NLEX will look to follow up the pulsating win with another when it takes on Nuni Omot and Magnolia this Sunday at the Ynares Center II in Montalban.
(C) PBA Images
Sedrick Barefield led the Bossing with 18 points. Ochefu supplied 16 points and 16 rebounds while David finished with 12 in the stinging defeat.
Blackwater will try to vent its ire on Terrafirma when the regular league minnows face each other on Wednesday, March 18, at the Ynares Center Antipolo.
The Scores:
NLEX 84 – Bolick 24, Lalanne 22, Winston 10, Alas 7, Bahio 6, Torres 6, Semerad 3, Gonzales 3, Fajardo 2, Herndon 1, Onwubere 0, Racal 0, Ramirez 0.
Blackwater 81 – Barefield 18, Ochefu 16, David 12, Panopio 7, Tratter 7, Mallilin 6, Murrell 6, Andrade 5, Una 2, Ilagan 2, Mendoza 0, Jopia 0.
Quarterscores: 15-25, 34-41, 60-61, 84-81.
