BLACKWATER CATCHES FIRE, KEEPS NLEX WINLESS
CLARK — Blackwater caught fire and unleashed an oozing third-quarter rally to breeze past NLEX, 98-88, in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Saturday at the Angeles University Foundation Arena powered by Smart 5G here.
Nino Cañaleta delivered a vintage performance while Don Trollano provided offensive spunk for the Elite, who punched their second win in three games.
Also turning in impressive numbers was Roi Sumang, who had 13 points, six assists and five rebounds in more than 27 minutes of action while Ed Daquioag had 10 markers.
“Our win was a combination of fast and offensive plays. We made the other team commit breakdowns,” said Nash Racela, who has six PBA titles as assistant coach before getting a taste of head coaching duty.
But the run-and-gun strategy wasn’t the only reason why the Elite claimed the victory.
With the game knotted at 46 at halftime, the Elite stepped on the gas in the third period to uncork a 35-16 run, thanks to the hot shooting of Daquioag and Sumang, who had a combined 15 points.
Then, in the final canto, Cañaleta and Frank Golla fired three straight treys to stretch their lead to 24, 93-69, with only 6:15 left, crushing the morale of the Road Warriors, who are looking for their first victory in this conference that is being played using bubble format to lessen the risk of the novel coronavirus.
Despite missing the services of top rookie Maurice Shaw, Racela emphasized that their youthful energy and chemistry pulled them through against the Road Warriors, who could match them in a sprinting contest with Kiefer Ravena, Kevin Alas and Jericho Cruz in the back court.
“We have been very clear with our players and the whole team that we need to give ourselves a chance. We have to help each other,” said Racela, who may be in his first season as Elite coach, but is already very familiar with his key players like Mike Tolomia, Mac Belo, Ron Dennison and Richard Escoto after handling them at Far Eastern University in college.
“Regardless of their number of playing years, for as long as they give key contributions, we would welcome them. That’s the most important thing that we consider.”
Rookie Mike Ayonayon had a breakout performance with 20 points and six rebounds, but it was flushed down the drain as the Road Warriors suffered their third straight loss.
Ravena finished with 17 markers while Alas and Raul Soyud chipped in 13 for NLEX, which will face Northport in its next game on Wednesday.
Scores:
Blackwater (98) — Canaleta 18, Trollano 18, Sumang 13, Daquioag 10, Golla 8, Desiderio, Belo 7, Tolomia 6, Salem 5, Magat 3, Gabriel 2, Escoto 1, Dennison 0.
NLEX (88) — Ayonayon 20, Ravena 17, Alas 13, Soyud 13, Porter 9, McAloney 6, Galanza 5, Quinahan 5, Ighalo 0, Miranda 0, Paniamogan 0, Semerad 0.
Quarters: 17-15, 46-46, 81-62, 98-88.