Tinupad ng import na si Kentrell Barkley ang inaasahan sa kanya at nagtala ng triple-double upang pangunahan ang Blackwater sa 131-108 na panalo laban sa Rain or Shine sa PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup sa Ynares Center sa Montalban noong Sabado.
Nagtapos si Barkley na may 29 puntos, 15 rebounds, at 10 assists.
“Just happy that, you know, everybody stepped up, everybody played with the mindset of winning the game and they never gave up. Hopefully, this good start would continue more in the games to come,” ani coach Patrick Aquino sa post-game interview.
Ang dating Most Valuable Player ng Indonesian Basketball League ay asintado sa kanyang unang pitong tira, kabilang ang apat na three-pointers.
Sinabi ni Barkley na layunin niyang magsilbing gabay ng Bossing.
“I was just being aggressive, trusting coach Pat’s gameplan,” ani Barkley.
“I feel like if I’m aggressive on the court, I give my teammates the best chance of winning the game. I got a little tired since the second quarter, but I found other ways to impact the game without scoring so I feel like I’m part of the reason we won the game.”
Umabot sa 34 puntos ang pinakamalaking kalamangan ng Bossing, 103-69.
Sa kabila ng pagbabalik ni Aaron Fuller na nagtala ng 38 puntos at 15 rebounds, nalasap ng Elasto Painters ang pinakamasaklap na pagkatalo mula nang yumuko sa Barangay Ginebra Kings, 90-114, noong Mayo 3 sa eliminations ng Commissioner’s Cup.
Ngayong Linggo sa Ynares Center Montalban pa rin, maghaharap ang NLEX at Terrafirma para sa 2-0 lead sa Group A simula 5:15 p.m.
Titan Ultra at Converge ang maglalaban sa main game 7:30 p.m.
Sa pagbubukas ng liga noong Biyernes sa Ynares Center Antipolo, nagwagi ang Terrafirma kontra sa walang import na Titan, 113-100, at ang NLEX sa ilalim ng bagong coach na si Jimmy Alapag laban sa guest team Macau, 114-75.
Binigyan ni Alapag ng pagkakataon na maglaro ang lahat ng Road Warriors.
“I’m really happy with the group, with their competitive spirit and unselfishness,” ani Alapag. “We had 30 assists. That says a lot. It’s a good foundation we can build on.”
Ang import na si DeQuan Jones ay nagtala ng 23 puntos at 11 rebounds, samantalang si Kevin Alas ay nagdagdag ng 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists at 2 steals.
“It’s nice we got coach Jimmy his first official PBA win,” ani Alas, na nakasama pa si Alapag noong rookie year niya sa TNT taong 2014-2015.
Iyon ang huling season ni Alapag sa TNT bago lumipat sa sister team Meralco.
Nagsama rin sina Alas at Alapag sa Gilas Pilipinas.
The scores:
First Game
BLACKWATER 131 – Barkley 31, Barefield 24, Ilagan 22, Panopio 19, Una 12, Tratter 11, Demusis 8, Austria 4, Mallilin 2, Escoto 0, Cruz-Dumont 0, David 0, DiGregorio 0, Mendoza 0, Sena 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 108 – Fuller 38, Nocum 17, Mamuyac 12, Villegas 9, Clarito 8, Malonzo 6, Manaytay 6, Tiongson 5, Cuajao 5, David 2, Asistio 0, Caracut 0.
Quarters: 36-25; 72-56; 108-81; 131-108