WEDNESDAY marked a double celebration for Chris Banchero as he experienced the joy of having his father in the stands and witnessed Meralco secure a hard-fought 116-107 victory in triple overtime.
The win forced a winner-take-all game in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal series against Phoenix.
Banchero's father in the stands
The 34-year-old Banchero said it was the first time his father, also named Chris, watched him play in person after such a long time.
The elder Banchero arrived in the country this week from Seattle.
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“It’s really good to have him here. It’s incredible they flew all the way here to watch the game,” said the Meralco guard as he and his family were on their way out of the Philsports Arena.
Banchero finished with five points in the win that kept the fifth-seeded Bolts remain in the hunt for a berth in the semifinals.
Bolts overcome odds
He credited the entire Meralco team for overcoming the odds and fighting its way back from as much as a 15-point deficit early on to nip Phoenix in the 14th triple overtime game in PBA history.
“I haven’t been part of a game like that for a long time. All the guys stepped up,” said the Fil-Italian guard. “Even when we were down, we’re able to fight through that.”
The sudden-death encounter is set on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena, and the good thing for Banchero, his ‘lucky charm’ will be watching the game anew.
“They’ll watch Sunday’s game. That would be good,” he said. “It’s going to be another tough game.”
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