BLACKWATER made quick work of Kia Friday in preparation for what should be a long tough route to the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.
It took the Elite just the last two quarters to make a resounding 95-76 win possible at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, their second straight.
A more balanced attack, helped along by a total domination of the shaded area, enabled Blackwater to improve to a 4-5 win-loss record overall and take over eighth-running spot.
More wins against NLEX on Sunday and Phoenix on Wednesday and the Elite are sure to gain inclusion among the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals, which is precisely what coach Leo Isaac is hoping for.
"We would want to keep our hopes alive and that would only happen if we can continue on with our winning ways," said Isaac after his team followed up its 106-96 shocker over San Miguel Beer last Friday.
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The back-to-back wins should serve his team in good stead, added Isaac.
"That win over San Miguel last Friday was like a shot in the arm and again with a win over Kia... maybe we can go on, move on to the next level in terms of confidence, maturity and all the other positive things that can add up for another win in our game on Sunday."
Main concern for Isaac right now is how to keep his team going in the face of three consecutive games in six days.
"That's why we tried to manage the exposure of our main players and hope that our reserves can contribute, so we'd have fresh legs going to the games against NLEX and Phoenix," stated Isaac.
The loss was the fifth straight and eighth in nine games in all for long-eliminated Kia, which went into the game hoping to salvage some pride but saw its hopes quicky dashed.
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Ronald Tubid bravely tried with a personal season-high-tying 22 points, but Reden Celda's 21 made him the only other Picanto to wind up in double digits.
In contrast, Mike Digregorio notched a team-high 21 points to lead an attack that had JP Erram and Allein Maliksi contributing at least 14 points each. Erram also finished with 14 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
Starting point guard Nard Pinto only had five points, but had eight assists and seven boards, helping Blackwater post a 56-40 advantage off the boards, a plus-22 lead in points in the paint and plus-17 in second chance points.
Those advantages, and Digregorio's 11 of his points in the third quarter, helped the Elite stretch a 47-41 halftime lead to 77-59.
Celda's back-to-back triples, including a very long one just before the buzzer, trimmed the deficit to 12 and JayR Reyes' basket made it a 10-point game at the start of the fourth.
But the tolls of playing catch up since the opening period and listless plays that resulted to just three Picanto points in the first 10 minutes of the final frame.
The Elite were quick to pounce, with third-stringer Chris Javier capping a 17-1 charge that resulted in as much as an inexorable 94-68 spread. (NC)
The scores:
BLACKWATER 95 - DiGregorio 21, Erram 17, Maliksi 14, Sena 9, Belo 8, Marcelo 8, Cruz 5, Pinto 5, Jose 4, Javier 3, Banal 1, Cortez 0, Palma 0, Neypes 0.
KIA 76 - Tubid 22, Celda 21, Corpuz 9, Lastimosa 8, McCarthy 6, Reyes 5, Camson 3, Khobuntin 2, Galanza 0, Sara 0, Escoto 0, Yee 0.
Quarter scores: 25-21, 47-41, 77-65, 95-76.
