Terrafirma trounces Blackwater to continue perfect PBA start

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Terrafirma Dyip’s dream start in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup is still alive following a 99-88 victory over the Blackwater Bossing on March 18, 2026, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

With another lopsided win, Terrafirma improved to an undefeated 3-0 win-loss record, just one victory away from tying its 4-0 start during the 2016 PBA Governor’s Cup, when it was still playing under the Kia Mahindra franchise.

Still rolling fresh off a momentum-boosting win over the Converge FiberXers, Terrafirma never lost a step, banking on a 33-15 outburst in the first quarter that set the tone for the convincing dub.

However, a spirited come-from-behind rally stunned Terrafirma after Sedrick Barefield went unconscious in the second quarter, helping Blackwater pull within a point heading into the second half.

The premier guard was a one-man wrecking machine for Blackwater, outscoring the entire Terrafirma squad in the final five minutes of the second period with a series of isolation buckets from the perimeter and the 3-point line.

Trailing by 12 points with four minutes remaining in the second quarter, Barefield took the Terrafirma defense to school by going on a personal 9-0 scoring run before the half ended, trimming Blackwater’s deficit to just a point, 50-49.

The Dyip then passed their first character test with flying colors after the trio of Paolo Hernandez, Jerrick Ahanmisi and import Mubashar Ali joined hands to restore order for Terrafirma as they took turns scoring to balloon their advantage back to double digits.

An instrumental second-half adjustment that also helped Terrafirma get back on track was its doubled effort to limit Barefield’s offensive production.

From an almost automatic bucket-getter, Barefield instantly became a non-factor in the second half after Terrafirma decided to deny him the ball and let the other guards handle play-navigation duties.

As a result of Barefield’s regression, Blackwater failed to reignite its fire in the fourth quarter and could only watch the rejuvenated Terrafirma squad dismantle it on both ends of the floor.

Ali once again led the way for Terrafirma with an all-around effort of 22 points, 23 rebounds, three assists and a block, while Hernandez added 20 markers and five boards.

Ahanmisi came through with 18 points built on a pair of 4-pointers, Joseph Eriobu chipped in 12 points and seven boards, while Maverick, the older Ahanmisi, had 10 points, five dimes and four boards.

Terrafirma will look to stretch its unbeaten run to four consecutive games on March 25, 2026, against the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, while Blackwater hopes to end its skid on March 22, 2026, against the Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados.