BOLTS, DAVIS TEST CARNIVAL, RAMOS
MERALCO remains a work in progress and that should bode ill for the rest of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup field.
More so Kia, which the Bolts are facing Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome in a bid to at least share the early lead in the mid-season tournament.
At first glance, Meralco seems to have the advantage, what with its impressive 85-74 victory over Barangay Ginebra on opening day last Tuesday.
Kia, on the other hand, dropped an 89-100 decision to GlobalPort.
Bolts coach Norman Black won’t let those initial results get to his team’s head, however.
“We just looked like we’re in better shape this time around, and of course, once we blend in with our import, we’ll continue to get better,” said Black.
In only his first game, Josh Davis already got good passing marks as he wound up with game-highs of 25 points and 24 rebounds on top of three steals.
“Josh Davis controlled the boards for us, which is what we brought him here for,” noted Black.
Most of the local Bolts also did their part in making up for the absence of Jared Dillinger (knee injury), with Gary David notching 21 points, Mike Cortez scoring 12 points and four assists and Cliff Hodge hauling down 11 boards.
How Davis could come up with identical numbers and Hodge his share of caroms against Kia’s hulking 7-3 import Peter John Ramos is the biggest question.
Despite the loss, Ramos had the most impressive debut among this tournament’s crop of reinforcements with 41 points, 20 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots, with the bulk of his points fueling Kia’s fightback from a 24-point deficit.
It’s just that the Carnival were running on fumes by then, enabling GlobalPort to cruise to the finish.
That should not be the case this time around as Reil Cervantes, Kia’s top player in the Philippine Cup with over 16 points per game, is expected to bounce back strong from an 8-point performance. (NC)
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