By REYNALD MAGALLON
Meralco has finally cracked the puzzle that the rest of the 10 teams had struggled to solve all eliminations long.
Behind the stifling defense and explosive transition offense, the Bolts built a sizeable lead before averting collapse down the stretch to hand San Miguel its first defeat, 95-92, in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup at the Batangas City Coliseum on Saturday, May 4.
Chris Newsome, Cliff Hodge and Allein Maliksi all delivered timely hits to withstand a huge fourth quarter storm for SMB to power Meralco to the much-needed win that ended their elimination record at 6-5.
Not only that the win allowed Meralco to barge into the quarterfinals in a rousing fashion but it also put itself in a good position in the quarterfinals after getting assured of at least a Top 6 finish.
The Bolts also a spoiled the Beermen’s attempt at completing an 11-0 sweep of the eliminations – a feat that has only been done by four teams in league history.
The Bolts threw everything, even the kitchen sink, to the Beermen, limiting CJ Perez to a single-digit production while making June Mar Fajardo bleed for every point against the twin-tower combinations of Raymond Almazan and Cliff Hodge, and Norbert Torres and Brandon Bates.
Through that ploy, Meralco built a lead as big as 16 points, 82-66, heading into the final frame.
As expected though, no lead was safe against the Beermen, who came back within two, 84-86, before Newsome, Hodge and Maliksi went on a 7-2 run to restore order.
SMB still threatened and came within three, 92-95 with the Beermen holding on to the final possession.
Basketball Gods seemed to have also conspired with Meralco as Raymond Almazan inadvertently kicked the ball during Fajardo’s fly-by move, foiling a three-point attempt that could have sent the contest to overtime.
Hodge emerged as the unlikely topscorer for Meralco with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Maliksi added 19 points while Newsome chipped in 17 points.
Meantime, Blackwater finally arrested a seven-game losing skid, salvaging some measure of pride with a 102-73 victory over Phoenix to end the 2024 Philippine Cup on a bright note.
Only fighting to somehow get a winning end to the miserable conferences for both squads, the Bossing emerged as the one who wanted it more as they pulled away in the final frame to wrap up the season with a 4-7 win-loss record for 10th place.
The finish was an improvement for Blackwater which went on to lose their next 10 games to end up dead last in the standings after winning the first game last conference.
A huge reason behind the better ending for the Bossing were Troy Rosario and Jaydee Tungcab, who both spearheaded a back-breaking 18-2 run that put Blackwater ahead in double digits, 83-71, after trailing by four, 65-69, heading into the final frame.
Rosario, scoring just four points in the first two quarters, took charge and finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds – 11 coming from the offensive end. Tungcab, meanwhile, saved his best for last, pouring in a career-best 19 points, built on five triples.
Rey Nambatac also contributed 16 points, Bradwyn Guinto and RK Ilagan with 11 points apiece and Richard Escoto with 10 points.