Blackwater sees some light, though still reeling from injuries

MANILA, Philippines – The skies cleared up enough for the Blackwater Elite to soak up some light off a crucial first win in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

They turned back the still winless GlobalPort Batang Pier, 118-113, on Saturday, April 8 for what was only their first win in 5 games. They badly needed this win.

It came as Blackwater continued to reel from spate of injuries to hit its key players: from star rookie Mac Belo (knee), Art Dela Cruz (achilles), and to JP Erram (knee).

“After 4 heartbreaking losses, finally we were able to hold our own and break into the win column,” said head coach Leo Isaac, who admitted losing those players affected the team.

“We have to face reality and be able to withstand whatever storm there is. Maybe after the storm we’ll be a better team, battling it with other PBA teams. Art is 6 months away, Belo maybe 3 months away. Erram perhaps one and a half months away.”

Getting that first win, though, was far from easy – not even against the equally struggling GlobalPort.

Blackwater had to stave off one final rally led by Terrence Romeo late in the game and they had to display some maturity amid pressure.

Import Greg Smith led the charge with 40 points and 19 rebounds, including the late two-pointer that provided some cushion. Mike Digregorio, who has stepped up in past games, finished with 18 points plus the last two free throws for the final tally.

“This time we played a lot smarter going into the crucial minutes of the game. Down by 6 we were able to recover from that and establish a good lead and preserve that lead, enabling us to secure our first win,” Isaac said.

“Hopefully we can continue on with this. Hopefully it could boost our morale, our confidence, and be a better team going into our next game.”

Isaac noted how his team, once a bunch of reserves, is slowly getting used to being the ones at the frontlines and holding more responsibility.

“I know we can go up against the best teams in the PBA but we just have to be more patient in dealing with it,” he said. “The times that we lost, we lost our patience, we lost our poise and we end up losing. We have to be a lot smarter in dealing with situations with that.” – Rappler.com