Bolick teases defenders with new four-point arc

Robert Bolick of the NLEX Road Warriors during a game against Blackwater in the PBA Governors Cup. –PBA Photo

Robert Bolick had some trouble shooting the ball, but he still managed to maximize his four-point shooting, helping NLEX get off to a strong start in the PBA Governors Cup with an all-around performance.

“I used that shot to create opportunities for my teammates,” said Bolick, who was one rebound away from a triple-double in the Road Warriors’ 104-87 win over Blackwater Bosing on Thursday at Smart Araneta Arena.

Bolick scored 24 points and dished out 11 assists, most of which came as defenders were wary of his ability to shoot behind the league’s new shooting arc. Bolick made just one of four shots from 27 feet, but he used the opportunity to easily drive through in the first half, scoring for himself or creating open shots for his teammates.

Bolick and Mike Henry have also shown he can shoot from that distance as well, which gives NLEX high hopes for this conference.

Early Lead Share

Henry and Bolick worked well together in scoring chances, scoring 31 points to put the Road Warriors in a tie for the lead in Group B with the Rain or Shine Erasto Painters and the San Miguel Beermen, who beat the Phoenix Fuel Masters 111-107 in the previous game.

“In this meeting, I had a different role, with a foreign player on the floor, and he was our go-to guy,” added Bolick, who also pulled down nine rebounds.

Although NLEX was pleased with Henry, Blackwater clearly had a different opinion of its foreign player Richie Ledo, who failed 13 of 15 attempts, including 7 of 8 three-point attempts and 2 of 4-point attempts, scoring only 6 points.

Blackwater lost 2-0 in the group stage and North Port and Terra Firma will try to avoid such a dismal start in their opening match at the same venue on Friday at 5pm.

North Port is looking to make up for Tuesday’s 101-95 loss to TNT by bringing in Venky Jois, who was selected despite Taylor Johns’s excellent performance in that game.

Johns had 36 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists against the Trobang Giants, but the Batang Piers will be reunited with the Australian-born Joyce, who played in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup.

Although Joyce is the shortest import on the team at 6-foot-4, 6 inches under the height limit, he is averaging 23.9 points, 15.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.3 blocks in 11 games in the league. Terrafirma is looking to get back on its feet after a 127-95 loss to Converge two days ago that ruined the debuts of Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle.

Both teams are in Group A, along with Converge and Magnolia, and will meet in a night game at 7:30 p.m.

A win would make the FiberXers the worst team in the 2023-24 season, unlikely to be in an early lead with the Meralco Bolts or Tropang Giga, which were playing at press time. INQ