Henry Walker had a triumphant PBA return, guiding the Blackwater Elite to their first Oppo Governors’ Cup win at the expense of the slumping Phoenix Fuel Masters, 92-86, on Sunday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The former NBA player who previously had stints with Alaska and NLEX finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to lead Blackwater (1-3) which finally barged into the winning column after losing its first three games.
Walker, who came in as Blackwater’s replacement import after Trevis Simpson suffered an injury, also got plenty of help from Mike Digregorio who scored 28 points.
Blackwater leaned on Walker and Digregorio for the entire game, and the they didn’t disappoint their squad as they made huge baskets down the stretch.
Hanging on to a slim 86-84 lead with 38 seconds left, Walker converted a tough putback off his own miss to push the Elite’s lead to four points.
Eugene Phelps kept Phoenix alive on the other end, but free throws by Walker and Digregorio sealed Blackwater’s victory.
The explosive Phelps was limited to 13 points to go along with 17 boards as the Fuel Masters (2-3) dropped their third straight game.
