BLACKWATER ace rookie Sedrick Barefield went on a kamikaze drive off Phoenix’s Javee Mocon and import Brandone Francis, scoring on a tough twisting layup using his left hand last night.
Barefield, this season’s No. 2 pick overall, starred anew in the Bossing’s next offensive thrust–booming in a fadeaway jumper that made it 114-104 with 3:26 to go but importantly doused cold water on the Fuel Masters’ last-ditch effort.
Showing how it’s done, Blackwater clobbered Phoenix 123-111 for its second straight win in Group B in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Undermanned Meralco tries to stretch its winning run to three when it tackles Converge today while Magnolia and NorthPort cross paths both in Group A play at the same venue.
Amid the downpour caused by tropical storm “Enteng,” the Bossing refused to be denied, with Barefield hammering the final nail in the Fuel Masters’ coffin–a three-pointer that made it 122-109 count, only 1:12 left, and did the famous Stephen Curry “Night, Night!” celebration like he did in their stunning 95-88 win over the Ginebra Kings last Friday night.
Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso admitted his charges expected Phoenix to come out with guns blazing with a new import in Brandone Francis, but the Bossing prepared doubly hard.
“We knew that their new import was gonna come in and give them some light, some motivation the same way George (King) did for us. So, we were expecting to be ready and good, and I think they were good,” Cariaso said. “What happened there was George King stepping up and not just matching the points and all the numbers that Francis brought.
“But he matched his (Francis) energy and defended and all the things we talked about in practice as part of our team,” he added.
King sizzled with 44 points spiked by two four-pointers, on top of 13 rebounds and four assists while Barefield notched a career-high 32 markers, three boards and five dimes.
RK Ilagan and Troy Rosario also had 14 and 12 points, respectively, as the Bossing rose to 2-3.
The Fuel Masters came off a 99-116 loss to Rain or Shine five days ago and remained winless in four starts in the season-opening tilt.
Cariaso’s squad took a 64-58 cushion at the halfway mark that it pushed to as much as 105-84 early in the final canto.
A Francis layup pulled Phoenix to within 104-109 with 5:07 remaining but that proved to be the Fuel Masters’ most noteworthy stand.
Francis shone in his PBA debut with 45 points, 10 caroms and eight feeds but got little support from the Phoenix local crew, with only Jason Perkins hitting double-figures with 29 markers and eight rebounds.
