Night of the leaving dread
Robert Bolick made sure NLEX wouldn’t miss its greatest opportunity to end its string of playoff flameouts.
And Bolick did it in the manner of those Halloween movie villains: relentless and merciless.
The do-it-all guard had 16 of his 23 points in the first quarter as the Road Warriors shook off the fear of yet another quarterfinal exit by hammering Phoenix, 137-89, at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Saturday to complete a sweep of their series and become the first team to make it to the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals.
“I wanted to start the game with that kind of intensity,” Bolick said after his strong start virtually spooked the Fuel Masters into submission.
“I wanted my teammates to see that we’re ready. And once it started, it snowballed from there,” he added.
By halftime, NLEX was up 78-43 as Bolick knocked down shot after shot from threes and fours with impunity.
The second half was a mere formality as the Road Warriors advanced to the Final Four in coach Jimmy Alapag’s maiden conference.
Recent heartbreaks
Behind Alapag, NLEX finally shed recent heartbreaks of missing the semifinals in two of the last three conferences despite owning the twice-to-beat advantage.
NLEX will take on either Converge or Rain or Shine in the semifinals, another best-of-five affair, when the league resumes in December following Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the fifth window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Converge equaled their own series at 1-1 on Friday with a 130-125 victory, with Mikey Williams knocking down a crucial three-pointer and Adrian Nocum turning the ball over thrice late in the game.
The Road Warriors celebrated the win, as they should. But Bolick also understands that they can’t be satisfied just yet.
“Coach told us, ‘Why are we satisfied dreaming of making the semis when we can dream of making the Finals?’” Bolick said. “‘We know we are capable of getting there, so why not aim for the ultimate goal?’”
Another exit
Phoenix’s hopes of putting up a fight to the end never materialized as the team fell into holes as deep as 41. The Fuel Masters also lost Ricci Rivero to an ankle sprain, compounding their woes.
The Fuel Masters ended their second conference under youthful mentor Charles Tiu with another quarterfinal exit, when a promising start with original import BJ Johnson went on a 180-degree turn with replacement Marcellus Earlington.
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