AFTER squandering its huge double-digit lead early, Meralco woke up in the nick of time to finish strong in the clutch, edging Phoenix, 92-90, to keep its hopes alive for the next round in the homestretch of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup elimination round last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Cliff Hodge and Garvo Lanete teamed up to lead Meralco’s charge. Lanete scored a game-high 24 points, including four triples, while Hodge had 17 markers.
A key 9-1 run down the stretch following an 81-all deadlock allowed Meralco to seize control and have a 90-84 lead with less than three minutes left after two free throws from Anjo Caram.
While the Bolts remained in the driver’s seat in the closing moments, the Fuel Masters were right in their tailend to give themselves a chance in the final minutes as Meralco’s lead was trimmed to only two, 92-90, with 21 seconds remaining after a split from the line from Jaypee Mendoza.
After forcing a turnover, Phoenix had a final chance to send the game to overtime or steal a win, but Jeff Chan’s potential game-winning triple at the top of the key was off as time expired, enabling Meralco to heave a sigh of relief.
Meralco snapped its three-game losing streak and improved to 3-6, still in 11th place. More importantly, it remained in the hunt for a berth in the quarterfinals despite its current stand.
Phoenix dropped to 4-5 as it is still yet to find the consistency that it is looking for.
Playing with a lot of desperation, the Bolts came out of the gates like a house on fire. They blasted the Fuel Masters with a torrid opening quarter attack to seize a huge 16-point cushion, 29-13, right away after the first 10 minutes of the contest.
Hodge and Lanete combined for 30 points in the first half to lead Meralco as Phoenix had no success in containing their duo.
At the half, Meralco was still ahead comfortably, 54-40.
However, Phoenix roared back strong in the third, inching to within just a single point, 60-61, halfway the quarter after a 20-7 run to start the second half. It completed its comeback by eventually taking the lead, 75-70, into the fourth period. But the Bolts answered with a swift 5-0 run to start the fourth and tie the game at 75-all heading into the last 10 minutes before proving steadier when it mattered.
Phoenix star Matthew Wright fouled out with less than three minutes to go, hurting the Fuel Masters’ chances in the endgame.
Willie Wilson likewise scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Fuel Masters.
The Scores:
MERALCO 92—Lanete 24, Hodge 17, Tolomia 9, Newsome 9, Canaleta 9, Caram 9, Hugnatan 6, Amer 5, Salva 4, Ballesteros 0, Baracael 0.
PHOENIX 90—Wilson 24, Wright 16, Jazul 13, Perkins 10, Chan 8, Mendoza 6, Dehesa 5, Intal 4, Kramer 4, Gamboa 0, Alolino 0, Chua 0.
Quarterscores: 29-18, 54-40, 70-75, 92-90.