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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
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04
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26
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2024
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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
04
26
2024
For San Miguel Beer, it’s about rising from a fall.
For Meralco, it’s about completing an upset.
The Beermen and the Bolts clash in a do-or-die match Monday at the Big Dome to determine which team slugs it out with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on one side of the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals.
Seventh-ranked Meralco fought with grit and guts all night long and stunned second seed San Miguel Saturday, 106-99, to force the rubber match.
The seedings don’t matter any longer as the two teams play again at 7 p.m. Monday. Neither does Meralco’s seven-point win Saturday count in the rematch.
It’s zero-zero, and it could well be all about desire and determination as in most knockout battles.
Meralco coach Norman Black says the opportunity to complete the reversal is there, and they must grab it.
The Beermen, meanwhile, know they have no more room for error and they’re determined to come out strong and play heads-up through 48 minutes.
San Miguel has lost its last two games. But the last time they suffered back-to-back losses, the Beemen won their next eight games to finish No. 2 behind the Alaska Aces in the elimination round.
Black insists they have to dish out a consistent effort throughout if they’re to repeat their Commissioner’s Cup Final Four appearance.
Jared Dillinger and Kelly Nabong played big off the bench, proving to be major factors as the Bolts foiled the Beermen’s first of two cracks at the best-of-five semifinals.
Dillinger sizzled with 21 points highlighted by 4-of-4 three-point shooting while Nabong came through with his finest PBA performance, logging 15 points and 12 rebounds on top of his defensive effort on SMB behemoth June Mar Fajardo.
Andre Emmett also produced double-double numbers with 28 markers and 10 boards and the rest of the Bolts had their contributions as they stayed in the hunt for another semifinal stint.
“What we got from the team is exactly what we needed – big performances from a lot of players,” said Black.
“We’d been looking for consistency on offense throughout the tourney. We had good ball movement and really played well in the first half and in the second half in this game,” Black also said.
Emmett was again a steady force, Dillinger and Nabong stepped up in relief efforts, Reynel Hugnatan gutted it out on his turn to guard Fajardo while Mike Cortez did well quarterbacking for the team.
Cortez issued nine assists, scored four points, completed two steals and snared one rebound in 31 minutes of action.
Gary David, Cliff Hodge, Sean Anthony and Japanese recruit Seiya Ando also made their presence felt as the Bolts overcame San Miguel’s strong start and Fajardo’s 30-point and nine-rebound showing. (SB)
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