BLACKWATER may have found the right import for its PBA Governors’ Cup campaign.
George King had 33 points and 19 rebounds in an impressive debut for the Bossing, helping the league minnows snap a nine-game losing skid to Barangay Ginebra with a 95-88 upset on Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The last time Blackwater won against Ginebra was five years ago in the Philippine Cup when Ray Parks was still playing for the team then known as Elite when it won, 108-107, on May 24, 2019.
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Rookie Sedrick Barefield doused a late Ginebra threat, draining a four-point shot with 31.2 seconds remaining to settle the final score, then doing a ‘night night’ gesture ala Steph Curry for the crowd.
But it was King who set the tone for the Bossing, who began the conference with two losses with the underwhelming Ricky Ledo then suffered another loss with an all-Filipino lineup last Sunday while waiting for a replacement.
King drained two consecutive four-point plays that enabled Blackwater to turn a two-point lead into a 69-59 advantage with 2:48 left in the third quarter, doing Lebron's imaginary crown gesture after the second four.
The new Blackwater import also drained a three-pointer that increased Blackwater’s lead to 11 points, 91-80, with 3:54 left.
“It’s really huge,” said Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso, who was still coaching Alaska when the franchise last won against Ginebra. “I think more than just the history and the slump that we’ve been on for the last five years, it’s really about staying in the conference. That’s still our goal.”
“We knew that our backs were kind of against the wall giving up three games already. We felt like there is still time but the pressure is really on us to start getting the ball rolling. George came at a perfect time and gave us a big lift.”
Barefield added 13 points, his four-pointer in the end making up for his 5-of-15 field goal sooting, while Christian David had 11 points in the Blackwater win.
Justin Brownlee tried to will his team back from 11 points down, scoring two field goals in an 8-0 run that cut the Blackwater lead to 91-88. But missed a jumper that led to the Barefield four-pointer.
Brownlee finished with 37 points after he went off for 51 against San Miguel last Tuesday. Japeth Aguilar added 17 points and 11 rebounds, while RJ Abarrientos had 10 points as Ginebra slipped to 1-2.
The scores:
Blackwater 95 – King 33, Barefield 13, David 11, Rosario 10, Guinto 9, Kwekuteye 8, Ilagan 5, Chua 4, Escoto 2, Ponferrada 0, Mitchell 0, Casio 0.
Barangay Ginebra 88 – Brownlee 37, J. Aguilar 17, Abarrientos 10, Ahanmisi 9, Holt 5, Go 4, Thompson 4, Adamos 2, Garcia 0, Cu 0.
Quarters: 20-21; 46-44; 77-64; 95-88.
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