MERALCO seeks a finals berth in the Fiba Asia Champions Cup when it goes up against Petrochimi of Iran on Monday night at the Stadium 29 in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
The Bolts are on a high after reaching the semifinals despite a solitary win. Meralco beat last year’s champion Al Riyadi, 96-63, to end up in a tie for second place with Mono Vampire and Al Riyadi, but the Bolts advanced to the semifinals with a superior quotient.
Meralco coach Norman Black is bracing for a tough game against Petrochimi, which is led by Iran national team mainstays Mohammad Jamshidi and Sajjad Mashayekhi.
“We will be looking to carry the momentum from our Lebanon victory over to the semifinal game vs. Iran,” said Black.
“We will be giving away a lot in size, but we bring the desire to win for the country to the court. I’m hoping everyone can put us in their prayers, and lend their support as we head into battle with Iran.”
Diamond Stone and Allen Durham are averaging 23.7 and 20.3 points respectively, with Durham also grabbing 14.7 rebounds. The Bolts also hope to get solid numbers from locals after Garvo Lanete scored 20 points and KG Canaleta adding 18 points in the victory over Al Riyadi.
The winner will face either Alvark Tokyo or SK Knights in the championship game set on Tuesday at Stadium 29.
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