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BLACKWATER GETS BACK AT KIA

Douthit (02-28-15)

The Blackwater Elite extended boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao best wishes in his forthcoming megabuck fight with Floyd Mayweather – but not after spoiling the Kia Carnival’s bid to give their playing coach a triumphant sendoff.

Brian Heruela, Sunday Salvacion and Marcus Douthit were among the Blackwater players walking over to the other bench, wishing Pacquiao all the best.

That’s after the trio dealt Kia a severe beating as the Elite bested the Carnival, 115-104, in their much anticipated rematch in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at The Arena in San Juan Saturday night.

Heruela came through with a career high 27 points, Salvacion got away with a tournament personal best of 22 markers while Douthit contributed 24 as Blackwater topped Kia and thus stayed in the fight for the post-elims play in the mid-season tourney.

The Elite allowed Peter John Ramos to explode for 49 points but contained the rest of the Carnival as Blackwater avenged its 66-80 loss to Kia in the season opener last October at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Pacquiao was helpless on the bench where he showed up in civvies.

The Elite simply played better, frustrating the predominantly Kia crowd including Mommy Dionisia and Jinky Pacquiao.

The Dioceldo Sy-owned ball club snapped another three-game losing skein and improved to 2-6 following its first PBA victory against San Miguel Beer, 80-77, last Feb. 11.

Averaging just 10.2 points, Heruela delivered almost a triple of his norm as he outfoxed and outperformed Kia counterparts LA Revilla and JR Buensuceso, scoring on a variety of shots.

Salvacion also made a big impact, striking heavily from afar as he topped the total number of points (16) he scored in his four previous games in the tourney.

Doing his best to neutralize Ramos, Douthit also made his presence felt on the offensive end, with his biggest bucket a three-pointer at the height of Kia’s fightback in the fourth quarter.

In their next possession, Salvacion also pumped in a trey from a broken play as the Elite restored a commanding lead, 101-89, and coasted through.

The Elite foiled the Carnival’s bid to stretch their run to three games as Douthit and his teammates established an early 18-point lead, sat on a 56-42 cushion at the half and hung tough in the face of Kia’s repeated uprisings in the second half.

Kia actually scored the game’s first seven points but Blackwater quickly made the right adjustments and dominated the rest of the opening half with a 50-percent field goal as against the Carnival’s 30-percent clip. (SB)

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