Perfect start

Blackwater’s bid for a better conference got off on the right foot, as the Elite slipped past Meralco in overtime, 94-91, at the start Sunday night of the PBA Commissioner Cup at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

The Elite drew 20 or more points from three players to pull the rug from under the Bolts, who led by as many as 11 points but couldn’t hold off the hard-finishing Elite when it mattered.

“Winning the first game is a big, big help to us,” said coach Aris Dimaunahan, whose head coaching career also got the perfect start.

Alaska got off to a slow start later in the night before scoring a 111-98 ripping of Columbian.

Import Chris Daniels had 25 points and 16 rebounds for the Aces, who also drew 20 points from Chris Banchero off the bench.

Import Kyle Barone led the Dyip with 30 points and 22 rebounds, with rookie CJ Perez shooting 19.

Rookie Ray Parks Jr. was among the heroes for Blackwater. He scored 20 points to go with import Alex Stepheson’s 20 and Mike DiGregorio’s team-best 21.

“He brings a lot to the table. It may not be all on scoring, but his leadership was [in display here],” Dimaunahan said of the 6-foot-4 Parks, the second overall choice in the Draft who didn’t play for the Elite when they were eliminated in the Philippine Cup won by San Miguel Beer.

“He can make passes, he can make shots, he can defend even in tight situations,” Dimaunahan continued.

“I have to give credit to my players,” Dimaunahan added. “They stuck to the game plan and executed our offense well. [But most importantly], because they didn’t fold.”

Stepheson, whose last stint in the PBA was, ironically enough, with the Bolts, was terror inside the paint, pulling down 31. Parks had eight.

Meralco’s reinforcement Gani Lawal scored 34 points, but muffed a triple try at the buzzer which could have won it all for the Bolts.

Mike Tolomia added 11 more for Meralco, but that was the only double-digit performance that came from the locals.

“I always believe in these guys. We’re built for this. The three tuneup games we’ve had were all close ones so I think that’s what made us ready for this game,” Dimaunahan said.

Blackwater, after a franchise-best elimination record in the Governors’ Cup, was 2-9 in the all-Filipino.