MANILA, Philippines - Meralco, fighting for pride and nothing else, mustered enough spunk and energy to upset Commissioner’s Cup titlist B-Meg, 104-101, in the PBA Governors Cup semifinals round at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
Playing with no pressure at all, the Bolts stopped the B-Meg charge and, in the process, handed idle pacesetter Rain or Shine automatic playoff crack at the finals.
The Llamados missed an attempt to tie the Elasto Painters (9-3) on the lead and instead fell down to joint second with the Barangay Ginebra Kings at 8-4.
B-Meg and Ginebra fight for solo second place in a big game at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow also at the Big Dome.
Meralco plays its last game in the season also tomorrow versus Petron Blaze, vowing to take the exit on a winning note.
“Sometimes, one’s character is tested when nothing is on the line. In this game, we showed this team plays hard, plays to win, and this team can go up against the big dogs in the league,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.
“We’re going to go real strong Sunday to end our creditable season,” Gregorio added.
Sol Mercado, Mario West and Chris Ross put in huge numbers as the Bolts notched their first win in four games in the post-elims plays.
Team owner Manny Pangilinan, who turns a year older today, somehow served as motivation for the Bolts.
“We’d been outplayed in our first three games (in the semis). We’d been in situation we don’t know how to play. Finally, we won one,” said Gregorio.
“It’s a big one. Not for anything else, the motivation was to win one for MVP (team owner Manny V. Pangilinan) who celebrates his birthday tomorrow (Saturday),” Gregorio added.
Talk n Text stayed alive as the Tropang Texters whipped dethroned champions Petron Blaze Boosters, 103-94, later in the night.
“Yes, we’re still alive but nothing has changed – one miss we die. We’re playing each possession as our last,” said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.
“We go up next against the league leader (Rain or Shine on Monday). Hopefully, our instinct to survive prevails over their instinct for advancement,” Reyes also said.
The game nearly slipped away but the Bolts went on to preserve it on an interception by Ross of a crucial B-Meg inbound in the last 1.7 seconds.
Ross wound up with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals against three turnovers in 37 minutes of action.
Mercado topscored with 30 points while West made 29, including highlight baskets sending the crowd to a frenzy.
In one instance, West did some break dance stuff after jamming in an alley-oop pass by Mercado.
The Bolts led by as many as 19, 72-53, early in the third quarter before relaxing a bit, giving the Llamados an opening for a rally.
B-Meg charged to within one twice at 98-99 and 101-102 on baskets by James Yap in the dying seconds.
A throw-in error in the end, however, ruined the Llamados’ bid to repeat their come-from-behind win over the Petron Blaze Boosters Wednesday. B-Meg overcame a pair of 19-point deficits in that game.