Kings capitalize on Bolts’ lack of cohesion

Barangay Ginebra pounced on Meralco’s lack of cohesion and pounded out a 115-98 win Friday night for a rousing start in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena in Laoag City. Nate Brumfield came through with solid numbers for the Kings in his debut on Philippine soil, finishing with a near-triple double effort of 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Mark Caguioa added 20, while Willie Miller, a Brumfield look-alike, scattered 16 points for the league’s most popular ball club, which led from start to finish. The Bolts, parading a brand new roster following the pre-conference acquisitions of Sol Mercado, Reynel Hugnatan and RenRen Ritualo, never got back into the game after the first quarter as they fell by as many as 17 points in the opening half (36-53). But the rookie franchise did overhaul a 59-83 deficit by cutting it down to just 11 (at 76-87) early in the fourth. However, Miller scored five straight points to bring the lead back to 16 at 92-76, before the Kings coasted the rest of the way. An injury prevented Hugnatan from suiting up for the Bolts, but Mercado did and finished with 19 points, including 14 in the first quarter alone. But the stocky guard cooled off in the wake of the Kings’ big second-quarter surge, leaving the scoring chores to the hands of import Anthony Dandridge and veteran big man Asi Taulava. Dandridge, a former U.S. NCAA slam dunk champion, had a quiet 30 for the Bolts, while Taulava complemented him with 23 points. Mark Cardona, the high-scoring guard of Meralco and the second leading scorer in the Philippine Cup, was held to only six points. The win avenged the 73-72 loss the Kings absorbed at the hands of the Bolts when the two teams also played in the opener of the all-Filipino tournament last October. – JVP, KY, GMA News