The Bolts fended one Bossing rally after another.
The Meralco Bolts notched their second straight win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Saturday, but they had to fight the Blackwater Bossing tooth and nail to secure the 91-84 victory.
Meralco was particularly tested in the fourth quarter, when Blackwater looked to rally and draw even with the Bolts—only to be rebuffed time and again, either by a big basket by Meralco or a huge defensive stop.
“It was a struggle,” was how Meralco coach Luigi Trillo described that rough-and-tumble fourth quarter that also saw the Bolts go scoreless from the five-minute mark all the way to the one-minute mark.
But the Bolts ultimately held on to prevent Suleiman Braimoh’s huge 40-point, 16-rebound double-double from going to waste.
“I think there were multiple possessions in the fourth when nobody could shoot,” Trillo added. “Both teams shrunk the court. We only had stepback shots and three-point shots. That’s a credit to Blackwater.”
Normally, coaches would be displeased. Not Trillo. At least not in this game, mostly because Meralco withstood the Bossing’s repeated comeback attempts.
“What was nice, though, was we grinded it out,” Trill said. “And I think when you grind out games like that, it really puts our guys in a situation to have an opportunity to build character.”
Indeed, the Bolts will need more of that if they are to finally break through in this conference and win that seemingly elusive title.
Meralco will also need to keep building that character fast as greater challenges await—the first being the San Miguel Beermen on November 19 and then the TNT Tropang Giga the Sunday after that.
Blackwater, on the other hand, will get an opportunity to bounce back on Wednesday, November 15, when they take on the Terrafirma Dyip.