Back-to-the-wall Bolts shut down two main Tropang 5G guns in Game 3
Meralco finally found the consistency it lacked in the first two games and got on board in its PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series with sister team TNT.
And the Bolts, 97-89 winners on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, were able to neutralize two of the biggest reasons why they were put in a predicament of being in desperate mode.
“We know that these guys are capable and we can’t let all of them explode,” said coach Luigi Trillo after shackling Calvin Oftana and Jordan Heading in the Game 3 win that had the Bolts creeping to within 2-1 in their best-of-seven series.
Oftana could only muster six points on 1-of-7 shooting, with Meralco imposing some help on the defensive side whenever the Tropang 5G forward was ready to make his move in the post.
Heading, on the other hand, was held scoreless after missing all seven attempts.
TNT’s wins in the first two games saw Oftana average 27 points on 18-of-32 shooting, while Heading came off a 24-point effort in the previous game after a torrid start.
“We just have to hold the fort while Coach Nenad’s away,” said Trillo regarding the absence of active consultant Nenad Vucinic.
Vucinic has been out since Game 2 after returning to New Zealand to attend the wedding of his daughter. His availability for Sunday’s Game 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena remains questionable.
But there’s no question that the Bolts will need to display the same resolve if they want to put the series back on level terms.
Meralco is hoping it can play with a healthy Chris Newsome, who had to be helped by teammates after the final buzzer when he appeared to have been hit in the knee during the closing seconds.
Chris Banchero put up 18 points that went with six rebounds and two assists to lead the Bolts, who were up by a high of 16 points before preventing an RR Pogoy-powered Tropang 5G rally in the fourth.
Pogoy, left to carry most of the offensive cudgels with Oftana and Heading being nonfactors, finished with 28 points in the loss.
TNT’s defeat spoiled the tribute poured to franchise great Ranidel de Ocampo, whose No. 33 was retired during halftime.
De Ocampo was joined by his family and former teammates and coaches at St. Francis of Assisi, the non-UAAP and non-NCAA school that opened the door for his fabled career in the PBA and the national team.
He played nine of his 15 seasons with TNT, winning six championships, two PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player awards, while joining the Mythical First Team three times.
