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    Unbeaten Meralco goes on a fiery windup to frustrate Ginebra

    Bolts stay perfect
    Feb 13, 2022
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    Chris Banchero gives a good account of himself in his Meralco debut.

    MERALCO kept its slate clean at the expense of bitter rival Barangay Ginebra, 101-95, on Sunday in the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

    Tony Bishop had a solid double-double while Chris Banchero played impressively in his first game in a Meralco uniform as the Bolts joined Magnolia at the top of the team standings with a 4-0 win-loss record.

    Bishop had 30 points and 13 rebounds. He also hit the jumper that broke an 89-89 tie and sparked the run that gave the Bolts to a 96-89 advantage.

    Banchero, meanwhile, finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists in his first game since signing with Meralco as an unrestricted free agent from Phoenix during the suspension of the conference.

    Cliff Hodge also provided hustle plays all game long, and his offensive rebound led to an Allein Maliksi three-pointer that hiked the lead to 99-91 with 1:58 left and practically sealed the victory for the Bolts.

    “I think that our import Tony Bishop had a lot to do with this victory. His consistency throughout the game, the fact that he shows up every game gives us a foundation that we can build on to try to win as much as possible,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.

    Ginebra lost for the second straight time to fall to 3-2 after starting the conference unbeaten.

    Meralco had to earn the victory as Justin Brownlee came alive in the second half and help Ginebra took an 89-87 after a 5-0 run aided by a three by the longtime import.

    But that lead proved to be short-lived as Bong Quinto tied the game up and Bishop took over.

    “We had to gut it out. It wasn’t a very pretty victory to be quite honest with you. We didn’t shoot the ball that well and we didn’t execute that well offensively. But I think we strung together some defensive stops in the second half that allowed us to separate a little bit and allowed us to win the game,” said Black.

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    Brownlee had 27 points and 14 rebounds after he struggled offensively with six in the first half. Scottie Thompson had 18 points and nine rebounds for Ginebra.

    Nards Pinto played against his former team since signing with Ginebra and had nine assists but scored only two points after shooting 1 of 7 from the field.

    The scores:

    Meralco 101 – Bishop 30, Banchero 12, Newsome 12, Maliksi 11, Quinto 8, Almazan 8, Hodge 8, Black 6, Caram 4, Hugnatan 2.

    Barangay Ginebra 95 – Brownlee 27, Thompson 18, Standhardinger 17, Tenorio 10, J. Aguilar 10, Tolentino 5, Caperal 3, Chan 3, Pinto 2.

    Quarters: 29-22; 45-46; 79-76; 101-95.

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    Chris Banchero gives a good account of himself in his Meralco debut.
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