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Friday, March 29, 2024

Meralco Bolts stay in hunt for Top 4 finish

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MERALCO is still in the mix for a twice-to-beat incentive.

The Bolts halted their recent struggles to deal Mahindra an 86-83 squeaker and stay in the hunt for a top four finish which entails a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Allen Durham hit the go-ahead jumper with 46 seconds remaining to give Meralco an 84-83 edge and then canned the insurance two free throws with a second left to finalize the count at the conclusion of the game.

Meralco’s Jared Dillinger splits the defense of Mahindra’s Aldrech Ramos and James White in a PBA Governors’ Cup game won by the Bolts, 86-83.

Durham finished with a game-high 34 points, on an impeccable 68 percent shooting and then grabbed 17 rebounds for another double-double monster performance.

Mahindra failed to score in its next possession as they went dry the rest of the way. Mark Yee attempted a potential game-tying three-pointer from the backcourt that went astray at the buzzer.

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Meralco snapped its two-game slide to finish its elimination round campaign with a bang and wind up with a 6-5 slate, tying Mahindra for fourth place.

“It’s nice to get a win getting to the playoffs. It’s good for us to bounce back in this game after two straight losses,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “We came out and played hard. It’s just nice to get our confidence back. We’ll now wait to see where we end up.”

The Enforcer could’ve sealed the No. 4 seed and the last twice-to-beat advantage had it won but instead, it ended its surprising elimination round campaign with a three-game losing streak.

Both Mahindra and Meralco will now play the waiting game with NLEX, Alaska and Phoenix capable of getting six wins.

The two teams with the highest quotient will have a playoff for the No. 4 seed.

League-leading TNT KaTropa, Barangay Ginebra and defending champion San Miguel have already secured a top four finish. The three will hold a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarters.

Jared Dillinger added 12 points, 11 in the first half. Chris Newsome had 10 for the Bolts.

James White had 27 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double to lead the Enforcer.

Meralco led for most part but Mahindra came back strong late in the game to put up a serious threat and almost steal the game.

White’s jumper with 2:04 left to play pushed the Enforcer ahead by a point, 83-82. That proved to be the team’s final points as the Bolts ended the game with a 4-0 run to prevail. 

The scores:

MERALCO BOLTS 86 – Durham 34, Dillinger 12, Newsome 10, Hugnatan 9, Alapag 7, Amer 4, Hodge 3, Uyloan 3, Faundo 2, Nabong 2, Al-Hussaini 0.

MAHINDRA ENFORCER 83 – White 27, Ramos 17, Revilla 12, Yee 9, Taha 8, Aguilar 4, Guinto 2, Digregorio 2, Agovida 2, Mandani 0, Webb 0, Galanza 0, Bagatsing 0, Ballesteros 0, De Vera 0.

Quarter scores: 25-22, 50-45, 71-62, 86-83.   

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