Meralco unleashes opening thunderbolt

MANILA, Philippines - Champ Oguchi picked up from where he left off in the second conference and Mark Isip outperformed himself, leading Meralco to a 105-100 win over Petron Blaze in Day Two of the PBA Governors Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome last night.

Oguchi, Meralco’s holdover import from the Commissioner’s Cup, went 5-of-10 from three-point area and finished with a sterling double-double game with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

Sol Mercado and Renren Ritualo added double-digit markers but Isip proved to be Meralco’s biggest local reliable, getting away with 28 points, two rebounds and one assist coming off the bench.

Isip went 12-of-18 from the field and four-of-four from the stripe as he missed by one his career-best output in the Philippine Cup.

Oguchi and Isip combined for three charities in the crunch to personally hold off Petron Blaze’s comeback bid from 21-point deficits.

“Isip bailed us out so many times when Petron launched a comeback, and it’s great to win because we didn’t stop believing we can win,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio after the game they won minus several players including top local player Mark Cardona.

“At the start, I mentioned to the players in as much as we lost players on injuries, the game is played five-on-five. For as long as we’re on the court, no one has the advantage,” Gregorio added.

Chris Ross, Marlou Aquino and newly acquired guard Chris Timberlake are other Meralco players on the injured list.

The B-Boys, however, proved much better against a Petron team obviously still working out the right blend with import Ricky Harris.

Harris, a former University of Massachusetts star who’s a last-minute replacement to Mike Taylor, struggled with a 3-of-15 field-goal shooting and 1-of-4 free throws for only eight points.

Meralco established control early, leading by 14 points twice before settling for a 51-42 spread at the turn.

The B-Boys picked up their game from the get-go and took control practically the entire opening half with Oguchi, Mercado and Isip leading their offense.

They had at least 12 points each while no one from Petron made more than seven in the first 24 minutes of play.

The Boosters, however, made it a little close at the end of the first half on their 16-of-22 free throws as against the Tigers’ 5-of-5.

Oguchi went 3-of-6 from the beyond the arc and the whole Meralco unit went 21-of-51 from the field as against Petron’s aweful 11-of-38 clip.

Stepping up the pace, the B-Boys opened a 19-point bulge, 71-52, at the outset of the third period on an attack capped by Oguchi’s fifth triple in the night.

Yousif Aljamal’s lone basket – also a triple – made it 84-63 after the first three quarters.

Debuting Ginebra import Curtis Stinson didn’t need to score much, making a difference directing plays as the Kings walloped the Powerade Tigers, 92-80, in the nightcap.

Stinson, MVP in the most recent NBA D-League season, put in solid all-around numbers of 15 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block as he helped the Kings win their first game after being beaten by the Talk n Text Texters in the Commissioner’s Cup finals.

“He competes, he defends and he gets his teammates involved. He’s doing his job. So far, he’s okay,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.