New coach, Ray-Ray Parks debut as Blackwater wins in OT vs Meralco
Credit to Author: JOSEF T. RAMOS, TMT| Date: Sun, 19 May 2019 12:24:54 +0000
BLACKWATER defeated Meralco in overtime, 94-91, to mark the debut of Bobby “Ray-Ray” Parks Jr., and under new head coach Aries Dimaunahan on Sunday, the opening day of Season 44 of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Former Meralco import Alex Stepheson, Mike Digregorio and Mac Belo provided huge baskets in the extension period as the Elite claimed its first victory under Dimaunahan who replaced former coach Bong Ramos.
Parks Jr., the Elite’s second overall pick in last year’s rookie draft, played solidly for Blackwater, scoring 20 points despite an atrocious 6-of-19 shooting from the field in addition to his eight rebounds and three steals in 41 minutes of play.
“I’m just happy that the players stuck together even though Meralco got the lead. Meralco is a very strong team with [a] very, very good coach,” said Dimaunahan, who praised all his players for sticking to their game plan. “Even though we were down, they stuck together and executed our offense.”
Belo’s putback gave the Elite a 93-91 lead with 32.4 ticks left and Mike Digregorio made two free throws, extending its advantage to 95-91 with only 17.7 seconds left in overtime.
Meralco import Gani Lawal immediately scored on a lay-up to trim the deficit, but the Bolts needed to foul immediately to stop the clock. Parks made one of his two free throws in the last nine seconds before Lawal missed a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer.
Digregorio scattered 21 points, including five treys, while Stephenson also scored 21 points and hauled down 31 rebounds. Allein Maliksi contributed 12 points also for the Elite, who overcame a 39-50 deficit in the early part of third period.
Despite Blackwater’s 84-78 cushion in regulation, the Bolts came back and knotted the count at 85 behind Lawal’s basket. Trevis Jackson almost became Meralco’s hero in the regular period, but his jumper fell short that forced the overtime.
Lawal led Meralco with 34 points and 21 rebounds.
Scores:
Blackwater 94 – Digregorio 21, Stepheson 21, Parks 20, Maliksi 12, Belo 6, Sena 4, Sumang 4, Dario 3, Al-Hussaini 2, Alolino 1, Javier 0, Tratter 0, Cortez 0,
Meralco 91 – Lawal 34, Tolomia 11, Jackson 8, Pinto 7, Newsome 5, Salva 5, Hodge 4, Hugnatan 4, Amer 4, De Ocampo 4, Canaleta 3, Caram 2, Espinas 0, Quinto 0.
Quarterscores: 17-19, 37-42, 64-63, 85-85, 94-91.
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