MERALCO extended the duel to a marathon and kept alive its bid against gritty Phoenix last night.
In a match where the cage gods seemed to have blessed both combatants, Bolts wingman Bong Quinto played the hero’s role in the final extra period that he capped with a booming three-pointer to seal the deal.
The former Letran star afterwards pointed to the crowd–their fans who stomped their feet and cheered their hearts out on every basket–as if it was saying they would need them anew in the rubber match against the Fuel Masters this Sunday, Jan. 21, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Showing the biggest of hearts, fifth-ranked Meralco carved out a 116-107 triple overtime victory over No. 4 Phoenix in their quarterfinals tiff in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
While not taking the luster away from his charges’ riveting triumph in the pro league’s first 3OT game since 2019, Bolts coach Luigi Trillo is convinced the battle is far from over.
“It’s just one game ‘di ba? Phoenix is a very resilient team, marami silang bata na marunong maglaro ng physical. You have (Ken) Tuffin, (Javee) Mocon, (Jason) Perkins, and their import’s pretty good,” Trillo, who drew a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds from energetic forward Cliff Hodge before leaving the game for good at the 2:26 mark of the first OT due to a sprained left ankle, said.
“I just don’t know how we did those three overtimes. Bong played 44 minutes. But he said there were a lot of heroes in this game.
“New (Chris Newsome) hit that big shot (that forced the first OT). We had six guys in double figures. For us, whatever it takes. We’ve been in this situation before, and we have to keep that momentum going. A lot of respect to Phoenix,” he added.
Quinto chipped in 19 markers, seven of them coming in the third extension, two boards, and four dimes for Meralco, while Aaron Black, reinforcement Shonn Miller, and Allein Maliksi added 18 each.
Newsome also had 16 points, seven caroms, and four feeds as the Bolts, who negated the Fuel Masters’ twice-to-beat advantage, scored a fitting follow up to an 85-80 decision over the Magnolia Hotshots in their final elims outing last Jan. 6 in Iloilo.
Phoenix fell anew after losing 96-116 to TNT three days ago.
The Fuel Masters zoomed to a 36-21 lead on a Perkins jumper with 8:10 to go in the second quarter before they enjoyed a 47-39 edge at the break and a 62-53 cushion going into the final stanza.
That’s when Meralco persevered behind Black, Newsome, Hodge, Miller, and Quinto.
Import Johnathan Williams paced the Fuel Masters with 24 points, 24 rebounds, and six assists, while Perkins and Tyler Tio had 20 markers apiece.