Returning Ravena bolsters NLEX to victory against Phoenix

By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After almost a year and a half, Kiefer “The Phenom” Ravena finally made his comeback to the PBA with a bang after flirting with a triple-double, 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists to help the NLEX Road Warriors grab the win against the Phoenix Fuel Masters.

With 6 minutes into the opening canto, Ravena already made his presence felt as he dropped three triples and added a couple of defensive stops to energize his team.

Despite being in the league for only two years, Ravena’s leadership orchestrated their cohesiveness on the floor and was the primary playmaker after reading Phoenix’s defensive schemes.

It was a tightly contested slugfest in the final frame as Matthew Wright and RJ Jazul matched the firepower of Ravena and Philip Paniamogan.

NLEX import Olu Ashaolu provided the finishing touches as he scored 29 big points with 11 boards and 6 assists as an emerging import in the PBA.

Eugene Phelps of the Fuel Masters put up his usual monstrous numbers as he chipped in 38 points and 10 huge rebounds but it was not enough to carry his team to a win.

Phelps exploded for a 23-point performance in the fourth, but the lack of local scoring support hindered the Fuel Masters from victory.