CONVERGE rising star Alec Stockton shouted at driving teammate Schonny Winston in the baseline last night, asking for the ball.

With Stockton proving his worth in the stretch, the FiberXers scored a 105-97 victory over the Meralco Bolts for their third straight win and boosted their bid for a quarterfinals slot in Group A of the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

On a cold and rainy night, Stockton’s plea for the leather proved to be what Converge needed in crunch time, booming in a backbreaking triple from the deep left corner that swung the lead back to the FiberXers 99-97 with 1:34 to go.

TNT tries to notch a six straight triumph when it squares off with winless Terrafirma today in Group A while San Miguel Beer faces Rain or Shine in the other duel in Group B at the same venue.

Stockton, a 6-foot-2 former Far Eastern University standout, added a jumper and two free throws off a foul by Meralco veteran Chris Banchero that pegged a 103-97 count, only 36.6 ticks left. Stockton and Banchero figured in a mini altercation in that play, with the former getting a technical foul due to second motion.

But Meralco rookie CJ Cansino missed a technical foul shot that Converge’s purple and white-clad fans described as poetic justice.

The FiberXers’ fitting follow-up to a 100-99 Houdini escape from the Terrafirma Dyip five nights ago should serve his charges in good stead, according to Converge interim coach Franco Atienza.

“Given the choice whether to play a blowout game in our favor or a close game but assured of a win, we will choose a close game because it will build character kasi you can replicate all the other scenarios in practice,” Atienza said. “One thing that you can’t replicate is pressure and you get that from the playoffs, from games like this, from series, from one-game sudden deaths.

“We got that from our game against Terrafirma and we were able to somehow pass that test. Now, it was tooth-and-nail in the first half. We got a bit of the lead in the third quarter, but Meralco is a good team, a champion team and they got back,” he added.

New import Jalen Jones, who replaced the injured Scotty Hopson (quad), promptly made a big impact for the FiberXers with a game-high 32 points, on top of 10 rebounds and two assists, while Stockton chimed in 27 markers, 11 boards and five dimes.

Justin Arana also had 12 and six for Converge which atoned for an 88-116 setback to Meralco in their first-round tiff last Sept. 4.

The Bolts failed to do an encore to a 114-104 drubbing of the Dyip last Saturday and fell to 6-3.

The FiberXers were behind 51-53 at the half but built a 73-58 spread on a JL Delos Santos basket at the 5:58 mark of the third quarter.

Meralco, however, refused to be bullied and leaned on a 14-2 blitz to grab a 79-77 buffer going into the fourth canto.

Reinforcement Allen Durham carried the fight for the Bolts with 25 points, nine caroms and six feeds while Cansino had 21 markers and six rebounds.

Chris Newsome, Bong Quinto, and Banchero also got 14, 12, and 10, respectively for Meralco.

After a roller-coaster first round campaign, Converge’s is keeping its winning run going. But can the FiberXers sustain it?