By Jay R. Gotera
MANILA - The Meralco Bolts inflicted yet another shocking blow on the TNT KaTropa Texters, drubbing their sister team, 98-87, in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday night.
It was the fourth straight time Meralco has defeated TNT extending to the recent Governors’ Cup where the Bolts defeated the Texters, 3-1, in their best-of-five semifinals showdown.
Friday night’s loss was all the more bitter for the powerhouse TNT since it got clobbered by a Meralco squad led by a rookie, Ed Daquiaog, who stunned the Texters with a game-high 23 points. Daquiaog scored 10 of his points during a fourth quarter rampage that caught the Texters flat-footed. Cliff Hodge also scored all nine of his points in the same period.
Sophomore Chris Newsome likewise played solidly for the Bolts, finishing with a near triple-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Its second win in three outings lifted Meralco into a tie for second to fifth place in the standings in the company of San Miguel Beer, GlobalPort and Phoenix.
TNT greeted new head coach Nash Racela with a second loss in four games to tie Blackwater at sixth to seventh place.
The Bolts led from start to finish, outscoring the Texters in all quarters except in the second period.
Rain or Shine 107, Blackwater 93
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters poured on the points in the second half to swamp the Blackwater Elite, 107-93, taking the lead in the team standings with their third win in four games.
Five Painters scored in double digits led by a resurgent James Yap who posted a season-best 15 points on top of five rebounds.
Raymond Almazan finished with a double-double 14 markers and 16 rebounds, while Jewel Ponferrada had 13 points and six boards.
Don Trollano and Jeff Chan added 11 points apiece. ROS pulled away in the last two quarters with a flurry of three pointers led by Trollano and Gabe Norwood. Trollano banged in eight of his markers while Norwood scored all nine of his points in that period.
Blackwater suffered a second straight loss after winning its first two games. Raymond Aguilar paced the Elite with 15 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while rookie Mac Belo finished with 13 markers, nine boards, and three assists.
Game Saturday: Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters (2-1) vs. Star Hotshots (1-2).
