PBA-DL: NLEX returns to the Finals anew after downing Big Chill

(Updated 6:29pm) Like clockwork, the NLEX Road Warriors are headed back to the PBA D-League Finals with an 80-71 win over the Big Chill Super Chargers on Thursday, at the Blue Eagle Gym, in the 2013 Foundation Cup semifinal round.

They are now five-for-five in the league's Finals series, having previously won the last four championships.

The Road Warriors defeated their foes by a score of 66-59 in game one.

For the second outing in a row, Kirk Long was named Best Player of the Game, this time compiling stats of 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

"Big Chill will always come back. We didn't celebrate even if we were up big," said NLEX head coach Boyet Bautista.

"Nagkatalo on defense. We made stops. We're back in the Finals because of our defense."

All of the 12 players fielded in by Fernandez scored at least two points in the game, while five of the 12 Super Chargers who saw action failed to score. That type of balanced play allowed the Road Warriors to sealed another D-League Finals appearance, their fifth straight.

"It's really the management that gives us the inspiration, because NLEX always strives for excellence," Fernandez said. "We lost the first two games [of the conference] but the management never gave up on us."

The two teams came out firing to start the game. Terrence Romeo and Jeckster Apinan combined for Big Chill's first seven points. Two free throws from Kirk Long gave NLEX their first taste of the lead with 7:02 left in the first period, but Arvie Bringas knotted the game at 9-all.

RR Garcia then scored on a running floater to give the Road Warriors an 18-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Janus Lozada scored five early points in the second quarter to get the Super Chargers closer at 20-19. However, the Road Warriors pulled away once again as Garcia, Kevin Alas, and Eric Camson combined to give them a 29-21 lead halfway into the second period.

Later in the half, Matt Ganuelas and Salva scored on back-to-back lay-ups to give NLEX a 34-25 lead, but Apinan and Romeo countered with a 4-0 run of their own to cut their deficit back down to five points.

The NLEX Road Warriors featured a balanced attack at the end of the first half with no player scoring over five points. Of the 12 NLEX players fielded in by head coach Boyet Fernandez, only Garvo Lanete had failed to score.

Big Chill, on the other hand, relied heavily on Romeo, who scored 13 points after the initial 20 minutes. Apinan added six points while Lozada chipped in five. Outside of the three, only Arvie Bringas and Quinto Heruela scored for Big Chill after two periods. Seven Super Chargers who saw action in the first half failed to score.


Apinan opened the third quarter by cleaning up after a Romeo miss, as the Super Chargers got to within a basket, but two free throws from Kirk Long bumped the NLEX lead back to four, 38-34, at the 5:55 mark of the third.

On the next play, Mar Villahermosa was called for a flagrant foul penalty one as he tripped Garcia. Mac Montilla was later called for a technical foul for second motion. NLEX free throws gave them a 41-34 lead.

The Super Chargers were able to trim the lead down to four points, but the Road Warriors made five free throws over two possessions for a 49-40 lead. A lay-up from Garvo Lanete and a basket from Greg Slaughter then gave NLEX a 53-40 lead with 1:02 left in the third.

Ronald Pascual was whistled for a personal and a technical foul, which resulted in three made free throws from Montilla. Montilla and Lozada combined for four free throws to cut the NLEX lead down to just six points, but Long scored on a jumper with three seconds left in the third to put the Road Warriors up 55-47, heading into the final quarter.

Long and Alas scored four quick points to start the fourth which prompted Big Chill coach Robert Sison to call a timeout with 8:29 left in the game.

After the NLEX lead ballooned to 14 points, Romeo and Apinan combined for five straight markers to keep Big Chill in the game, cutting the NLEX lead to nine points.

Long and Romeo then exchanged triples for a 64-55 count in favor of NLEX. After a Villarias basket, Alas completed a three-point play to give the Road Warriors a 69-54 lead with only 4:58 left in the game.

Sensing that the game was slipping away, the Super Chargers employed a full court press that resulted into NLEX turnovers. However, they were not able to capitalize with baskets.

Two free throws from Montilla at the 2:59 mark got Big Chill to within seven points at 69-62, but Borgie Hermida replied with a long jumper to wrap things up.

Romeo led Big Chill with 25 points in 30 minutes. He was above average from the two-point area, making 6 of his 10 shots, but he struggled from the three-point zone as he only made 3-of-15 tries from downtown.

Jake Pascual struggled on offense the entire game as he only got two points. However, he helped his team in other ways, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking two shots.

"Jake Pascual carried the load for us until Greg Slaughter came back," Fernandez said.
"Without Jake Pascual, we would not have won nine straight. For me, he is the Most Valuable Player because without him, we're dead."

Big Chill dominated the battle of the boards as they got 53 rebounds compared to only 43 for NLEX. Apinan grabbed a game-high 20 rebounds, but it was all for naught as the Super Chargers only converted on 29.7 percent of their field goals. They also committed 21 turnovers that resulted to 21 points off turnovers for NLEX.

The NLEX Road Warriors now await the winner of the do-or-die game between Blackwater Sports and Boracay Rum on Tuesday. - RAF / AMD, GMA News