Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Meralco Bolts held off the Blackwater Elite, 104-96, to advance to the semifinals in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup on Thursday evening at the Big Dome.
Meralco’s Baser Amer poured in 31 points, while import Allen Durham and Garvo Lanete chipped in with 18 and 17 markers, respectively.
A second quarter barrage from Henry Walker saw him tow the Elite to a 52-40 cushion over the Bolts going into the halftime break.
After the halftime interval, the Bolts managed to regain their composure and outperformed the Elite, 33-25, in the third frame.
But another Walker trey saw Blackwater cradle a 77-73 advantage going into the payoff period.
Meralco continued their ascendancy in the fourth quarter, with Nino Canaleta giving them the 79-82 lead at the 10:11 mark.
The Bolts held on to their advantage for the remainder of the final quarter, with Jared Dillinger draining a triple to put the game beyond doubt, 104-94, with only 1:29 left to play.
After a poor first half, Meralco coach Norman Black took time to praise his team’s resilience and Amer’s offensive output.
“My guys showed a lot of heart in this game tonight,” Black said. “I think everybody really worked hard. In the end without the offensive explosion of Baser, we wouldn’t have won this game.”
The Bolts will face off against the Star Hotshots in a best-of-five series in the Governors’ Cup semifinals.
