Meralco defeats another quality opponent in Rain or Shine

Mario West of Meralco (dark) vs Jireh Ibanez and Arizona Reid (behind) of Rain or Shine (light). PBA IMAGE/NUKI SABIO

MANILA, Philippines — Meralco defeated another quality opponent in Rain or Shine, 82-76, to gain solo second in the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

It was the Bolts’ valiant defensive effort, again, that kept them ahead down the stretch with Chris Ross and Cliff Hodge denying back-to-back attempts by the Elastopainters in the final minute.

“We really dug deep to find ways to win. Defense was the only way we could win,” said head coach Ryan Gregorio after the game. “We’re able to reach our goal [to limit ROS under 80].”

The Bolts, though, led for most of the game, by as many as 14 points in the third, even with prolific scoring import Mario West struggling with a career-low 17 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

John Wilson led with 18 points while Hodge chipped in 17.

Meralco, which improved to 4-2, added another contender to its list of victims, which includes Alaska and Talk N’ Text.

“We’re just happy to win against three big teams. We still want to continue to climb up the ladder and hopefully get to the mountain top with defense as our strongest armor,” Gregorio also said.