Cliff Hodge once again proved why he remains a valuable asset for Meralco as he helped his side take down bitter rivals Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in their 2021-22 PBA Governors’ Cup encounter on Sunday night.
The veteran bruiser finished with eight points and eight rebounds in another performance that saw him epitomize hustle and energy.
Five of his boards came from the offensive end, three of which he collected inside the final 4:24 that greatly helped the Bolts prevent the Gin Kings from stringing together runs that could’ve allowed them to come back.
Hodge and Co. won, 101-95, to stretch their unbeaten run to four and gain a share of leadership of the team standings with Magnolia.
“I think one of the reasons why he has been on the Bolts team for his entire career is because the company really respects the way he plays,” said head coach Norman Black of his big man, who also had three assists and a steal.
“The fact that he gives one hundred percent every single game, he goes out and plays hard every game, they appreciate that,” he added.
Hodge has definitely been key as to why Meralco remained unscathed in the conference resumption. In fact, he was bestowed with Best Player of the Game honors in his side’s 110-100 conquest of NLEX last Friday.
There, he registered 11 points and 12 rebounds, including seven offensive caroms in another proof of how much he values possessions.
Black couldn’t be any prouder to have someone like Hodge, who’s averaging 7.3 markers, 6.5 boards, 3.0 dimes, and 1.0 steals after Sunday.
“I always tell Cliff that, as you get older, the floor is not your friend, you know. But he’s not listening to me,” he said in between chuckles.
“He just stays on that floor all the time, diving for loose balls, always trying to save a possession for us,” added the champion mentor.
“So, yeah, he’s just out there giving one hundred ten percent every single night.”
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