King, bossing nail second win
MANILA, Philippines — Blackwater picked up from where it left off in a king-sized upset of Barangay Ginebra, making it two in a row with a 123-111 win over Phoenix Super LPG and debuting import Brandone Francis in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
The Bossing showed who’s the boss once again with steely resolve in the clutch, fending off the Fuel Masters’ furious comeback attempt and thus improving to 2-3 in Group B.
A 14-7 finishing kick capped by a crucial three-point play by No. 2 draft pick Sedrick Barefield took the Bossing home after nearly squandering a comfortable 19-point lead to start the payoff period.
The Filipino-American ace dropped a career-high 32 points, including six in that telling tear, and also got three rebounds and five assists, living up to his lofty billing as one of the next big things in Asia’s first pro league.
And there’s George King with his monstrous 44-point, 13-rebound outing, proving to be the timely savior who led Blackwater to a second straight win after a winless start in three matches – two with original import Ricky Ledo.
“We knew that their new import was gonna come in to give them some life and motivation. George just matched that not just in numbers but also in energy,” said coach Jeff Cariaso on his prized find who also led them to their 95-88 upset of Ginebra in his PBA debut.
“With George, it’s about getting to know each other a little bit more. We had a little import issue and George gave us a lift. He’s what we expected from an import and we’re fortunate to have him.”
Revved-up, the Bossing surged ahead, taking a 64-58 cushion at the turn before breaking the gates wide open in the third.
Barefield and King captained the ship, exploding in a staggering 39-26 run as Blackwater pulled away at 103-84 going to the payoff period.
In the main duel, Barangay Ginebra cruised to a 119-91 wire-to-wire win over NLEX behind a balanced attack.
Stephen Holt (26), Maverick Ahanmisi (20), Scottie Thompson (19), RJ Abarrientos (19), Japeth Aguilar (13) and import Justin Brownlee (13) connived as the Gin Kings climbed to 2-2 in Group B.
