Laoag City hosts FIVB World Championship trophy, Mascot tour
3
NLEX Road Warriors rule PBA preseason tourney in Kadayawan
The NLEX Road Warriors capped their preseason with a championship run, capturing the 40th Kadayawan Invitational crown after defeating the Blackwater Bossing, 101-84, on Sunday night, August 26, at the University of Southern Philippines in Davao City.
After trailing by as much as 11 early in the game, NLEX turned things around with a blistering 34-12 surge in the second quarter, sparked by Robert Bolick, Dominic Fajardo, Tony Semerad, and Xyrus Torres, to grab a 52-36 lead at halftime.
Photo Courtesy: PBA
Blackwater tried to rally in the final period, trimming the deficit to 76-65, but the Road Warriors answered with a decisive 12-5 run to restore a 17-point cushion with four minutes left.
Semerad, who drilled three triples in the fourth quarter, earned Finals MVP honors with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Torres paced NLEX with 19 markers, while Bolick contributed eight points, six rebounds, and nine assists. JB Bahio and Fajardo added 12 and 10 markers, respectively. The Road Warriors shot a scorching 18-of-34 from long range, with both Semerad and Torres hitting four apiece.
Sedrick Barefield led Blackwater with 15 points, while Richard Escoto chipped in 14. Despite the loss, the Bossing can take pride in sweeping the preliminaries, including a comeback win over NLEX, 95-90, earlier in the tournament.
This title is a timely confidence boost for NLEX, which finished second in the Philippine Cup eliminations last season before bowing to Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals.
Deputy coach Adonis Tierra steered the squad in their last two games, making NLEX the second straight PBA team to win the Kadayawan Invitational after Rain or Shine’s perfect run last year. The Road Warriors ended the meet with a 3-1 record, their lone defeat coming at the hands of Blackwater.
In the battle for third place, Phoenix finally broke through with a 101-81 rout of Converge, avoiding a winless stint. Raffy Verano tallied 19 points and nine rebounds, while Tyler Tio and Kai Ballungay added 17 and 15, respectively. The victory was also the first for new head coach Willy Wilson since taking over in the offseason. Incidentally, Phoenix also beat Converge in the third-place match of last year’s Kadayawan tilt.
