AARON Black backed up his pre-Game 6 words with a fourth-quarter explosion that kept Meralco alive in the race to the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
The guard out of Ateneo came through with the Bolts’ last 11 points at crunch time to help the team pull off the come-from-behind 96-92 win that sent the best-of-seven semifinal series to a deciding game on Wednesday.
[See: Aaron Black rescues Meralco in Game 6]
Black finished with 17 points and was the anchor of Meralco’s 16-2 finishing kick that turned the game around in the Bolts' favor. He added five rebounds and six assists in a performance that atoned for his six-point output in the Game 5 loss.
Meralco coach Norman Black disclosed his son vowed to take over prior to the game.
“He actually told me, ‘Give me the ball and set pick and rolls, and I’ll get it done,” said the elder Black. “And he went out and did it. I’m just really happy he was able to back up what he’s been saying inside the basketball court.”
But the third-year guard said it was not him but rather on the collective effort of the entire Meralco team that allowed the Bolts to drag the top-seeded Beermen into a make-or-break Game 7.
“Our backs are against the wall. It wasn’t just me. Everybody on the team came ready to play,” he said. “San Miguel is a tough team, and they had us in a hole almost the entire game. So I’m just glad we came out together as a team and come out with the win and lived another day.”
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