A ‘FINGER’ UP
- Converge steps closer to quarterfinals with victory over Meralco, but tempers optimism amid uncertainty
For the second straight conference, Converge caught fancied Meralco on a bad night and picked up an upset victory.
The FiberXers’ latest mastery of the Bolts, by way of Wednesday’s 105-97 stunner at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, allowed them to gain ground in the chase for the two available quarterfinal spots in Group A of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
“We got some of the learnings from the past conference because we’ve taken a lot of Ls,” said guard Alec Stockton, whose pair of clutch shots lifted Converge to a third consecutive win.
Converge improved to 5-4 (win-loss), leapfrogging Magnolia for third in the group while also padding its advantage over NorthPort in the standings.
Magnolia dropped to fourth at 4-4 while NorthPort holds a 3-5 slate going into their match on Friday at the same venue. The FiberXers play the Hotshots at the close of the group stage on Monday.
“It seems that out of the 10 fingers, we have one finger in the quarterfinals,” said FiberXers coach Franco Atienza. “[But] it’s still too early to tell and anything can still happen. As much as we want to prepare ahead for the playoffs, we wanna make sure we can get there.”
It was last April 21 when Converge shocked Meralco, 104-99, at Philsports Arena in Pasig City to finally get on the win column in last season’s Philippine Cup, while also snapping a 12-game skid that dated back to the Commissioner’s Cup.
Converge lost the first meeting in the ongoing competition to Meralco by almost a month, 116-88, but that didn’t deter Stockton and the FiberXers to put one up anew on the Bolts.
Stockton came through at the expense of Meralco’s Chris Banchero, who’s no slouch on the defensive end, hitting a left-elbow shot that put Converge ahead at 99-97, then went for an isolation to knock down a shot from the foul line to make it a four-point game.
Verbal spat
The two were so competitive that they eventually had a face-to-face verbal exchange after Stockton got fouled with under a minute left, prompting referee Rey Yante to intervene and separate both players.
Banchero and Stockton did exchange taps at the end of the ballgame.
“It was very competitive,” said Stockton. “They kept fighting back. We kept taking their punches and we’re competitors. Nobody wants to back down and everybody wants to win. You have to keep your best foot forward.”
The FiberXers prevailed even with new import Jalen Jones, who finished with 32 points, in tow after original reinforcement Scotty Hopson went down with a leg injury. Hopson was already hobbling when he knocked down the winning four-pointer over the weekend against the Terrafirma Dyip.
Atienza said Hopson is day-to-day, and the decision to bring him back or stick with Jones will depend on his recovery. INQ
