MERALCO’S campaign appeared to be hanging on clouds of uncertainty when original import Su Braimoh tore his Achilles early this month.
For Bolts coach Luigi Trillo, replacement reinforcement Zach Lofton is slowly proving he has what it takes to steer the team to new heights.
“It’s just (winning a) couple of games, but Zach is a different weapon because it allows us to go small,” Trillo said after his charges held off the Converge FiberXers last Sunday.
“But that’s just one game. Now we will face Ginebra and they have multiple line-ups, they can go big, they can go small,” he added.
Whether Meralco can get the done anew will be known when it takes on defending champion Ginebra tonight in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The match is set at 8 p.m., with the Bolts raring to stretch their winning run to five and gain a share of second against the Kings equally determined to atone for an 82-95 loss to the San Miguel Beermen seven nights ago and get back on track.
Struggling squads NLEX and Blackwater collide in the curtain-raiser at 4 o’clock.
Trillo is counting on his team’s plethora of defenders led by Cliff Hodge to put the clamps on Ginebra import Tony Bishop, as they did against prolific reinforcements Venky Jois of NorthPort and Converge’s Jamil Wilson.
“Last time around it was (Venky) Jois, but this time it’s (Jamil) Wilson and Cliff Hodge was a hard match-up for them,” Trillo said.
Aside from Lofton and Hodge, the likes of Allein Maliksi, Chris Banchero, Chris Newsome, and Raymond Almazan will be counted upon by Meralco to deliver in its bid to raise its 6-1 mark and tie idle Phoenix.
Having lost its last two matches, Ginebra is aching to halt a mini-slump and gain a much-needed boost going into its Christmas Day duel with TNT on Monday.
Bishop is expected to link up with Christian Standhardinger, former MVP Scottie Thompson, LA Tenorio, Maverick Ahanmisi, and Jamie Malonzo to improve their 4-3 card.
The Road Warriors will try to hack it in the second game of new addition Robert Bolick after they absorbed a 97-113 setback at the hands of the TNT Tropang Giga last Dec. 13 that dropped them to 2-6.
NLEX will pin its hopes on Bolick, import Stokley Chaffee Jr., Robbie Herndon, and Sean Anthony.
In a more dire situation are the Bossing, who are reeling from a seven-game losing skid, counting a 96-105 defeat to the Tropang Giga seven days back.
