Ravena shines as NLEX nips Kia
The NLEX Road Warriors were eager to start their campaign in the 43rd season of the PBA as they were excited to have Kiefer Ravena finally joining them.
The young guard was definitely worth the wait as he led eight Road Warriors in double digits as they scored a come-from-behind 119-115 victory against the game Kia Picanto in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday night at the San Juan Arena.
Ravena had 18 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists in the win and he was a game high +21 for his team in the 29 minutes he played. The youngster, though, needed the help of his veterans to seal the win as Kia’s offense denied him from getting the ball in the fourth quarter.
With just over a minute left, JR Quinahan found Larry Fonacier for a three-point shot plus the foul to put NLEX ahead 117-113. After Jay-R Reyes scored on the other end, the Road Warriors played solid defense before Quinahan guaranteed the win with two free throws with three seconds left.
“They’ve improved a lot with their offense and perimeter shots,” said NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao about the Picanto who faced heavy scrutiny heading into the new season after they traded away their right to secure the first pick overall in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft. “We’ll take this win. No matter how hard it was. We want to build some momentum, some confidence and chemistry with the team.”
The Picanto were off to the races in the first quarter where they exploded for 40 points, leading by as much as 13 points in the contest. The Road Warriors chipped away at the lead as almost every player that coach Guiao put into the game was able to contribute to their cause. Kia had 49 points off the bench, which is already a solid number but the Road Warriors had a whopping 80 points from their second unit.
“In the first half, Kia was shooting the lights out but we locked down and played better in the second half,” said Ravena after the game where he was picked as the Best Player of the Game. After allowing 40 and 28 points in the first two quarters, the defense of the Road Warriors buckled down and limited the Picanto to 24 and 23 points in the third and fourth, respectively.
It was a revenge game of sorts for Eric Camson who led Kia with 24 points and nine rebounds. The forward was a member of the Road Warriors last season before being packaged with Glenn Khobuntin to acquire Alex Mallari. Two of the players involved in the trade between Kia and San Miguel Beer also gave a good account of themselves as Reyes finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds while Rashawn McCarthy notched 14 points, six rebounds.