Jason Ballesteros was the hero nobody expected for Meralco, doing it on both ends in crunch time to help the Bolts escape rivals Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 84-82, Sunday night at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
Ballesteros made a key putback with 36.2 seconds left to play; contested Scottie Thompson’s floater on the other end; and split his charities in the final 17 ticks to help the Bolts get their fourth win and keep their playoff hopes alive.
“It’s just great effort from the guys just knowing the circumstances that had we lost today, we’re out of the tournament. The guys just came out there and played to get the win,” praised the Orangemen’s head coach Norman Black.
Meralco have improved to 4-6 and have forced a three-way logjam with the TNT Katropa and Blackwater Elite in the ninth spot of the standings. Ginebra, on the other hand, dropped to an even 5-5 card and stay in sixth place.
The six-foot-six Ballesteros was just three points short of a double-double, as he had seven markers and 17 rebounds. Garvo Lanete top-scored with 19 points, Anjo Caram fired a career-high 16 points, while Reynel Hugnatan made 12.
Newsome filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, six assists, five rebounds, a steal, and a block.
The Barangay actually had the game in their hands as they took a 77-69 lead in the payoff period. But the Bolts didn’t give up, unleashing a 12-3 run — ended by Hugnatan’s one-hander — to regain the upper hand, 81-80, 1:17 left.
LA Tenorio sank two freebies to lift the Gin Kings up once more, 82-81, in the final 58.7 seconds. That proved to be their last taste of a lead, however, as the Ballesteros magic happened and left the Barangay stunned.
Japeth Aguilar led Ginebra with 20 points and seven rebounds. Thompson finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists; Greg Slaughter supplied 12 markers and eight boards; and Sol Mercado chipped in 10 markers.
The loss spoiled the season debut of the versatile Joe Devance. The six-foot-seven forward, who has apparently recovered from a foot injury, finished with four points, three rebounds, and two assists in 18 minutes.
Meralco will aim to keep their hopes alive versus the Magnolia Hotshots on Saturday, February 24, 5:00 PM in Cagayan De Oro City, while Ginebra will aim for redemption versus the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on March 2, Friday, 7:00 PM at SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
Meralco 84 — Lanete 19, Caram 16, Hugnatan 12, Newsome 12, Ballesteros 7, Salva 5, Amer 4, Bono 4, Canaleta 3, Faundo 2, Sedurifa 0, Tolomia 0.
Ginebra 82 — Aguilar 20, Thompson 17, Slaughter 12, Mercado 10, Caguioa 6, Cruz 5, Tenorio 5, Devance 4, Mariano 3, Ferrer 0, Manuel 0.
Quarterscores: 15-20, 45-38, 67-64, 84-82.
