Blackwater fended off NLEX, 93-88, in the 2023 PBA On Tour preseason tournament opener, Sunday evening at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
RK Ilagan and Joshua Torralba connived for four straight points, while James Sena split his shots from the foul line as the Bossing pulled through in crunch time after the Road Warriors came back from as much as 18 down.
Mike Ayonayon led the way with 16 points in the win that started the franchise’s rodeo with new coach Jeff Cariaso on the right foot, although it was deputy Joe Silva who called the shots as he is still in the States to attend clinics.
Rey Suerte supplied 14 points, while Sena and Ilagan had nine each as all 13 players fielded scored at least a point in the triumph.
Blackwater (1-0) will look to continue its winning ways against Magnolia next Sunday, May 28, 5 p.m. at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Sean Anthony finished with 18 points to lead NLEX in the loss. Don Trollano had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Bong Galanza and former CAVITEX Brave Dominick Fajardo chipped in 13 and 10 markers, respectively.
The Road Warriors exploded for 33 points in the third quarter to turn a 16-point deficit to just five entering the final period, and momentum appeared to be in their favor when they managed to get within two multiple times.
It helped their cause, too, that the first-ever coaches’ challenge led to two easy points for NLEX as they went successful in challenging the loose ball foul initially called on Anthony as he fought for the rebound versus Torralba.
Coach Frankie Lim’s wards would cut the gap to just three approaching the final two minutes, but the door slowly closed as Ilagan found Torralba cutting from the baseline to stretch their lead to five, 90-85, with 1:18 to go.
The diminutive Ilagan would later make it a seven-point gap following a perfect trip to the charity stripe with 32.2 seconds on the clock.
Trollano tried to will his side back into the match after a corner triple off a timeout but Blackwater refused to allow the opposition to go any closer, with Sena’s split with 16 ticks left to play more than enough to finish off NLEX.
The Road Warriors (0-1) will look to bounce back versus Rain or Shine on Friday, May 26, 7:30 p.m., also at Ynares Pasig.
The Scores:
Blackwater (93) – Ayonayon 16, Suerte 14, Sena 9, Ilagan 9, Hill 8, Torralba 8, Ular 6, DiGregorio 5, Amer 5, Taha 5, Publico 4, McCarthy 3, Banal 1.
NLEX (88) – Anthony 18, Trollano 15, Galanza 13, Fajardo 10, Alas 8, Rosales 7, Doliguez 5, Rangel 4, Miranda 3, Gabo 3, Pascual 2, Celda 0.
Quarterscores: 23-16, 49-36, 74-69, 93-88.
