PBA: Blackwater upsets San Miguel to boost playoffs bid

MANILA, Philippines–Blackwater found an undermanned San Miguel on Saturday night and made the most out of the chance, hacking out a 111-94 victory in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

The Bossing enjoyed another big night from import George King, and then a spread-out production from the remainder of the squad to stun the mighty Beermen at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate, Manila.

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“We knew the situation going into tonight. The guys just weren’t ready to give up just yet. This shows character on our side, and where we want to be … we wanted to stay alive and that’s what happened,” said coach Jeff Cariaso, whose charges closed in on a quarterfinal berth with a 4-5 win-loss record in Group B play.

READ: PBA: George King hopes Blackwater’s rise leads to more fans

King finished with 49 points and 10 rebounds for the Bossing, taking advantage of the void left by counterpart Jordan Adams, who sat out due to a hamstring issue.

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Rookie Sedrick Barefield added 14 more into the scoring effort as Blackwater brace for the result of the Ginebra-NLEX duel this Sunday which significantly influences the club’s chances of advancing into the crossover quarterfinals.

READ: PBA: Import George King just what Blackwater needs

Should the Gin Kings prevail, Blackwater must beat Rain or Shine on Monday to complete the quarterfinal cast.

Reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo had 23 points and 12 rebounds, while CJ Perez chipped in 21 and eight. Terrence Romeo added 15 as the Beermen ended its elimination phase with a 6-4 mark, and could likely play Meralco in the knockout stage if their No. 2 seeding holds up when the eliminations wrap up.