Norbert Torres made his presence felt when it mattered most for the Meralco Bolts in their overtime win against the fearless Rain or Shine Elastopainters.
With Raymond Almazan and Brandon Bates nursing injuries, Meralco coach Luigi Trillo had to play Norbert Torres longer than usual especially down the stretch in the Bolts' second assignment against Rain or Shine in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup on Saturday, March 2.
Torres delivered.
The Meralco big man hit some crucial baskets in the fourth and extra periods, including the easy deuce from Bong Quinto that gave the team a 116-114 lead with 2:28 remaining.
The Bolts then staved off Adrian Nocum’s outburst and hung tough for a 121-117 victory against the Elastopainters.
Torres nearly posted double-double numbers with his 16 points and nine rebounds. He also contributed a block in 26 minutes and 33 seconds of play for Meralco.
His efforts did not go unnoticed.
“Norbert is such a professional. He’s ready to play his role. He cheers for his teammates,” said Trillo.
“We had Raymond and Bates injured. And you can see he (Torres) is a pro, he’s ready to play.”
[ALSO READ: PBA: Playing together a blessing for brothers Matt and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser]
But while he was happy with Torres’ showing, Trillo had to attribute the win to the team’s collective effort on both ends of the floor.
“Some guys had to step up because that’s what they’re going [to do]. Norbert got those shots because these guys are finding him,” Trillo added, pointing to Quinto who shone in overtime.
“He (Norbert) set the screens but you have to credit our guards for finding him. (But) he makes good decisions.”
The Meralco chief tactician was on point.
Anjo Caram came out of nowhere and hit some big shots in the fourth quarter and the extension on his way to scattering 13 points for the Bolts. Cliff Hodge contributed 16 markers and 10 rebounds while Chris Newsome chipped in 16 points before fouling out. Allein Maliksi fired 26 points and grabbed seven boards.
Meralco is expected to display the same mentality as it will potentially field in a shorthanded crew anew against NLEX on Wednesday, March 6.