Its playoffs fate still uncertain, Meralco survived the lion’s den and emerged with only a scar to show – all while clinching a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Philippine Cup.
The Bolts faced down the powerhouse SMC troika of Ginebra, Magnolia, and San Miguel in a tough, week-long stretch. But they stood their ground and did not shy away from the fight, winning two of the three games that propelled them to the playoffs.
The team pulled it off without coach Norman Black, whose mother passed away in the US last week. In his place, deputy coach Luigi Trillo and team captain Chris Newsome steadied the ship for Meralco.
During the crucial span, Newsome scattered all-around numbers, while holding his own on the defensive side to help the Bolts climb at 6-4. That solidified their place in the Top 6 for a spot in the best-of-three series.
The seasoned guard normed 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists laced by 1.3 steals in three big games for Meralco. For that, he earned the Cignal Play-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honor for the period July 13-17.
In a hotly-contested race for the weekly honor, Newsome prevailed over Rain or Shine’s Rey Nambatac and San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo following a close vote from among the men and women who regularly cover the PBA beat.
“It’s just a part of the challenge for us to have this type of schedule. It’s not something we look down on but something we looked at as a challenge. That’s something that not every team has to go through,” said Newsome.
The former Rookie of the Year started the week with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals in Meralco’s 90-73 rout of Ginebra.
Against Magnolia, he delivered stat lines of 24-4-5-1-1 in a 97-88 overtime loss, before putting up 16 markers, five boards, and five dimes in the Bolts’ thrilling 89-86 victory over San Miguel.
“We feel if we’re capable of getting through that together, then we’ll be prepared come playoff time, and I think that’s exactly what this last stretch did. It got us ready for the playoffs.”
Newsome, however, deflected the credit to the entire Meralco team for displaying a valiant stand dedicated to coach Norman and teammate Aaron following a loss in their family.
“You have to give credit to this whole team because we keep each other going. It doesn’t matter who’s scoring as long as we get the win. But when we play together, we realize we’re capable of doing great things. That’s what you saw during this stretch,” he added.
