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MERALCO BEATS SAN MIG COFFEE TO SEAL Q’FINAL SHOWDOWN AGAINST ALASKA
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MERALCO’s game against San Mig Coffee may not have much riding on it. But don’t tell that to Bolts head coach Ryan Gregorio.
“We really wanted to put our spirits to the test in terms of finishing the elims at No. 4,” said Gregorio after his charges fashioned an 87-77 win over the Mixers Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena to officially secure the ranking in the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals that start Wednesday.
“We also wanted to make sure we end the eliminations on a high note,” he added. “That was our basic motivation for this game.”
Reynel Hugnatan and Macmac Cardona each finished with 15 points and combined in a big surge spanning the last two quarters that pointed Meralco well on its way to an eighth victory in 14 elimination round games.
The Bolts actually just moved alongside Alaska and the two teams could also be tied by Ginebra, which was playing Talk N Text later in the evening.
Due to a higher quotient, however, Meralco is sure to emerge as the fourth-seed and it next takes on fifth-seed Alaska in a best-of-three duel in the ensuing round.
No matter the outcome of their game against the defending champion, the Kings are assured of finishing sixth and takes on No. 3 Rain or Shine in a similar race-to-two also on Wednesday.
It marks the first time in franchise history that Meralco gained a No. 4 seeding after the elims, a feat that followed up its first-ever semifinals entry in last season’s Governors Cup, when it made it as the sixth and last qualifier.
“This is the best (elims) finish for our young franchise. We wanted to break barriers. Now, as No. 4, our minds are focused for the quarterfinals (series) against Alaska,” said Gregorio.
The loss, its fourth against 10 wins, hardly mattered for San Mig as it has secured the No. 2 seeding as early as last Friday with a 107-96 win over GlobalPort.
The finish armed the Mixers with a twice-to-beat advantage over Petron Blaze on Thursday, which will also see top seed TNT tackling No. 8 Air21, with the Tropang Texters also enjoying a win-once advantage.
With those rankings and schedules settled, San Mig coach Tim Cone even had the luxury of resting James Yap, who has been plagued by bone spurs on his right ankle, using some new combinations and giving some of his relievers extended minutes on the court.
“Being the number two seed, this game was a luxury for San Mig,” said Gregorio. “For us, we just wanted to find ways to win this one. Luckily, we did.”
PJ Simon led all scorers with 19 points with rookie Aldrech Ramos chipping in a career-high 15 points for a Mixers team that was handily beaten off the boards 57-43.
Sol Mercado added 12 points for Meralco, gutting out the rest of the game despite rolling his right ankle late in the second period.
“I really did not want to play him in the second half, but he doesn’t want this situation to pass away, to make a very good win heading to the quarterfinals,” related Gregorio.
“All of us were inspired by Sol,” he added. “He could have easily told me he couldn’t play. Even before the game he talked to all of us, told us to believe we can pull this one through.”
JayR Reyes added eight points for Meralco, with six coming in the fourth period.
Hugnatan and Cardona, however, played the biggest roles in the Bolts’ most decisive breakaway in a game that had five deadlocks and three lead changes.
Cardona shattered the last tie at 60 with a short floater and Hugnatan’s dunk highlighted Meralco taking a 68-61 lead into the final canto.
Whatever hopes San Mig may have had of salvaging the game soon vanished after that when Hugnatan scored six points and Cardona completed a three-point play during a 13-8 exchange that gave the Bolts their biggest lead of the game at 81-69, 4:53 left. (NC)
The scores:
MERALCO 87 – Cardona 15, Hugnatan 15, Mercado 12, Borboran 9, Buenafe 9, Reyes 8, Sharma 7, Hodge 5, Salvacion 3, Nabong 2, Ross 2, Bulawan 0.
SAN MIG COFFEE 77 – Simon 19, Ramos 15, Barroca 8, Pingris 8, De Ocampo 8, Gaco 5, Devance 4, Intal 3, Ponferada 2, Villanueva 2, Gonzales 2, Reavis 1, Pacana 0.
Quarterscores: 19-15, 45-39, 68-61, 87-77
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