Playing in a virtual best-of-three to determine the fourth and fifth spot in the standings, it was the Meralco Bolts that used a second half comeback to pull off to a 104-99 win over the Mahindra Enforcers at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, Wednesday afternoon.
The Bolts captured fourth place in the standings, giving them a twice-to-beat incentive heading into the quarters. Mahindra, on the other hand, drop to fifth spot and will still face the Meralco due to the 4-versus-5 pairing.
After trailing by as much as 16 in the early part of the third quarter, the Bolts went on a furious 19-2 blast to take a 60-59 advantage in the middle of the frame. Import Allen Durham and Baser Amer ignited the run, while Mahindra found themselves struggling with their shooting.
The game was then a back-and-forth affair until the fourth quarter, when Mahindra still led by six at 80-74 with eight minutes left. However, a pivotal 12-4 run by the Bolts, capped by a Chris Newsome bucket, provided the lead for the Bolts for good.
The Bolts led 101-96 with 27 seconds left, but the advantage was chopped down to 2 with three free throws by KG Canaleta. Mahindra failed to capitalize down the stretch, after a defensive stop by Meralco in their attempt to tie the game from downtown.
Allen Durham finished with 34 points and seven rebounds. Jarred Dillinger played a stellar 22 points off the bench, including a dagger triple with a minute left to lift his squad to the win. After the game, Dillinger says he embraces the challenge of facing the same Mahindra team in the quarters stage.
“Hands off to Mahindra, they had a good game plan and it took us a bit long to adjust,” said Dillinger. “It’s gonna be a great series. We’re going to go back to the drawing board and it’s gonna be a whole new ballgame.”
Despite getting out-rebounded by Mahindra 43 to 32, the Bolts used a 16-to-9 edge in fast break points in the win. Moreover, the Durham-led crew had more points in the paint, 52 to 46.
All five starters for the Enforcers ended in double figures led by James White’s 22 points and 13 rebounds. Aldrech Ramos added 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while Paolo Taha chipped in 16.
The quarterfinal series between these two teams will be played on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo at 5:15pm, which the Bolts will enter with a twice-to-beat incentive.
The Scores:
Meralco (104) – Durham 34, Dillinger 22, Amer 16, Faundo 7, Hodge 4, Hugnatan 4, Al-Hussaini 2, Nabong 2, Alapag 1, Uyloan 0.
Mahindra (99) – White 22, Ramos 20, Taha 16, Canaleta 10, Revilla 10, Yee 10, Ballesteros 6, Digregorio 5, Agovida 0, Bagatsing 0, Guinto 0, Jaime 0, Paniamogan 0.
Quarterscores: 26-29, 41-53, 69-71, 104-99.
