By NIKOLE JAVIER
The Meralco Bolts suffered a heartbreaking 81-80 defeat at the hands of the visiting Seoul SK Knights in the East Asia Super League (EASL) on Wednesday night, Dec. 27, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Jameel Warney, who saw action in all 40 minutes, delivered the killing blows for the SK Knights by erupting for a team-high 31 points while collaring seven rebounds and dishing off six assists.
SK Knights’ Filipino import Juan Gomez de Liaño, for his part, tallied four points after seeing action in only four minutes in the first half.
he win improved the Knights with a 2-2 win-loss tally in the Group B standings, while the Bolts dropped to 1-3 to put their Final Four hopes in peril.
Meralco was actually coming off a big win against Japan’s reigning champion Ryukyu Golden Kings, but failed to sustain that momentum despite homecourt advantage.
They almost stormed their way back from a 74-62 deficit but ultimately fell short in the endgame off a last-second turnover.
Zach Lofton led the way for the Bolts on the losing end, finishing with an all-around effort of 32 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Prince Ibeh and Chris Newsome, for their parts, had 13 points each.
The Bolts are now seeking to bounce back in their next game on Jan. 3 against top seed New Taipei Kings at the same venue.
