It was a your-turn, my-turn type of Game 2 for Robert Bolick and Schonny Winston on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Bolick, the veteran and current leader for Best Player of the Conference, carried the NLEX Road Warriors offense in the first half against the hot-shooting, hard-fighting Phoenix Fuel Masters. Winston, the emerging superstar, then sparked the NLEX charge in the second half en route to a thrilling 124-117 victory and a 2-0 lead in the teams’ PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals clash.
Jimmy Alapag Sees Bright Future for Bolick and Winston
For the game, Bolick and Winston scored 31 apiece, with Berto firing 21 of his total in the first half and Winston pouring in 18 in the second half.
Needless to say, it was the kind of performance that brought to mind some of the PBA’s best backcourts in history, including that of Alapag and Jayson Castro, who made a career of carving milestones together for the TNT Tropang 5G in the 2010s.
For Alapag, NLEX’s current backcourt of Bolick and Winston will make their own special moments in the league—and Game 2 was an appetizer.
“Schonny and Berto, they’ll make their own history together,” Alapag said of his explosive backcourt. “Tonight showcased not just their talent and their ability, but I think their growth as a backcourt. Leaning on some of the experiences that they went through last conference and carrying that forward to where we are now.”
Alapag was probably referring to NLEX’s collapse last conference. After earning the top seed and the win-once advantage in the Commissioner’s Cup, the Road Warriors ran into the brick wall that is TNT and lost twice in the quarterfinals for another early exit.
All About Winning
Fast forward to the here and now, and NLEX is on the verge of finally making it to the semis, thanks in large part to that Bolick-Winston backcourt, whom Alapag describes as being “all about winning.”
“It’s a credit to both of their, not just their talent, but I think more importantly, their work ethic. They’re both high-character guys who are all about winning,” Alapag pointed out. “And I think that’s only going to continue to help them perform at a high level moving forward.”
Of course, Bolick and Winston performing at a high level will also only help NLEX moving forward.
NLEX and its sweet-shooting backcourt will look to book a semis seat in Game 3 on Saturday, this time at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
