By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE MERALCO BOLTS kept their Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup campaign alive by beating the San Miguel Beermen, 95-91, on the final day of the elimination round on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Showing the steadfastness on both ends of the court needed to keep their hopes alive, the Bolts outlasted the Beermen to improve to 4-7 and earn a playoff for the last quarterfinal spot against the Alaska Aces.

Knowing the significance of the contest, the two teams had it close to begin the opening quarter.

The Beermen had early traction but the Bolts would eventually keep in step.

After the first 12 minutes, the count stood at 22-21, and Meralco on top.

The nip-and-tuck nature of the match continued in the second frame, with the teams fighting to a 31-29 score, and the Beermen ahead, after six minutes.

Raymond Almazan then led an 11-7 run by the Bolts to overtake the Beermen, 40-38, with 2:52 on the clock.

Led by import Chris McCollough, however, San Miguel would regain its footing, able to pull even at 42-all at the break.

It was a shootout to begin the third quarter with import Delroy James leading the way for Meralco and June Mar Fajardo for San Miguel.

Meralco managed to hold a 61-58 lead at the halfway point of the frame.

Chris Newsome and Mr. James kept the Bolts machine humming for the rest of the quarter to help their team to a 74-70 lead heading into final 12 minutes of the contest.

San Miguel opened the payoff quarter with more fire, looking to seize the momentum from Meralco.

The Beermen went on a 10-5 run in the first three minutes and a half, to move ahead, 80-79.

Mr. Newsome and the Bolts though stayed the course to mix it up and go on top anew, 87-85, with five minutes left on the clock.

San Miguel pulled even at 89-all with 3:39 to go off an and-1 play from Mr. McCollough.

The score was at 91-all entering the last two minutes.

Mr. James broke the tie with a layup with 1:03 remaining to hand the Bolts the lead, 93-91.

After a timeout, the Beermen tried to execute a play to tie the game but was foiled by the Meralco defense.

Mr. James then made it a four-point lead for the Bolts, 95-91, with another layup with 32 ticks left.

San Miguel had a chance to narrow the gap but Mr. McCollough missed his two free throws with 19 seconds remaining.

The Beermen was forced to foul Mr. Newsome with 13 seconds to go but he missed both charities to leave the window open for the Beermen.

San Miguel, however, was not able to capitalize on it as Meralco held on for the win.

Mr. James led the way for Meralco with 34 points to go along with six assists, four steals and two blocks.

Mr. Newsome had 20 points while Mr. Almazan had 15.

For San Miguel (5-6), Messrs. McCollough and Fajardo finished with 27 points apiece.

“It was a game we had to have to stay alive. The players really stepped up both offensively and defensively. So we lived to fight another day,” said Meralco coach Norman Black after their big win.

With the win, Meralco edged the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters for a playoff for the last quarters spot against Alaska with a superior quotient.

Alaska, Meralco and Phoenix finished the eliminations with identical 4-7 cards.

San Miguel, meanwhile, with the loss could fall down to as low as seventh depending on the outcome of the TNT KaTropa-Magnolia Hotshots match later yesterday.

In the event it does fall to seventh, it will have a twice-to-win disadvantage against the number two team in the next round.

BOLICK ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Meanwhile, Northport Batang Pier’s Robert Bolick is the PBA Press Corp rookie of the month.

Stepping up after the departure of erstwhile team star Stanley Pringle, Mr. Bolick, the third overall pick in this season’s draft, has helped continuity in Northport goes seamless, resulting to a best record to date for the franchise of 9-2 in the Commissioner’s Cup.

The 23-year-old Bolick, was quick to lead the way for the Batang Pier shortly after Mr. Pringle’s departure last June 18, steering the team to back-to-back wins over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Blackwater Elite before losing a close one against the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters.

In NorthPort’s first three games in the post-Pringle era, it was Mr. Bolick who was at the forefront, averaging 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 7.3 assists.

For the month of June, overall Mr. Bolick submitted numbers of 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists in six games to earn his first PBA Press Corps Rookie of the Month honor.

During that stretch, the Batang Pier went 4-2 in the six games they played.

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