It only took Robert Bolick two games to prove his worth.
Bolick waxed hot, dropping a game-high 30 points to lead NLEX to a crucial 104-97 win over Blackwater in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Bolick, who joined the Road Warriors in a three-team deal that also involved NorthPort and San Miguel Beer, added 15 assists and eight rebounds while providing veteran leadership to lead the Road Warriors to their third win in nine games.
With that, NLEX boosted its chances for a quarterfinal berth entering its final two matches in the elimination round.
But seeing Bolick taking over for the most part of the match was a welcome sight for a Road Warriors team that just lost its ace guard, Kevin Alas, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament as well as Mike Nieto, who was sidelined with a calf strain.
With a shallow rotation at the backcourt, Bolick had to play 39 minutes while doing an impressive job getting his teammates involved.
“I have to give credit to the coaches for putting me in a good situation,” Bolick said.
“Also wanted to give credit to my teammates as we finally got the job done this time. We failed last time, but we did it now.”
“We wanted to come out with a win so we can have a much better Christmas.”
NLEX coach Frankie Lim recognized the magnitude of this game for their Commissioner’s Cup campaign as another loss would likely close the door on their chances of making the playoffs.
“We struggled a bit, especially in the first half,” said Lim, who also made special mention of Jhan Nermal.
“We had big games from Berto (Bolick) and Nermal, our import, Chaffey, and Tony Semerad. I told them that this is a must-win game for us. If we want to go to the next round, we have to start today (vs Blackwater).”
One of the two players picked up by NLEX in the second round of this year’s Rookie Draft, Nermal was the biggest surprise for NLEX.
A former member of the Bacoor Strikers, who played in the National Finals of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League but lost to the Pampanga Giant Lanterns, Nermal filled in the void left by Don Trollano, who became a part of the package of the trade that sent Bolick to the Road Warriors.
He finished with 16 points and four rebounds and his no-fear attitude had somehow given the Road Warriors additional firepower in their future games.
The loss was the eighth straight for Blackwater, which now dropped at the cellar with a 1-8 win-loss record and on the verge of yet another early exit.
The Scores:
NLEX (104) — Bolick 30, Chaffee 20, Nermal 16, Ganuelas-Rosser 12, Valdez 11, Semerad 5, Anthony 4, Rodger 3, Miranda 3, Herndon 0.
BLACKWATER (97) — Ortiz 27, David 17, Ilagan 16, DiGregorio 12, Suerte 7, Concepcion 6, Rosario 5, Amer 4, Hill 2, Ular 1, Escoto 0, Kwukuteye 0, Guinto 0.
QUARTERS: 27-26, 52-51, 77-79, 104-97.
