Meralco sneaks past Rain or Shine, stretches best start to 4-0
Meralco import Josh Davis drives to the hoops as Rain or Shine’s Jeff Chan tries to steal the ball. PBA IMAGES/Nuki Sabio
MANILA, Philippines — Meralco extended its best start in franchise history to 4-0 after rallying past Rain or Shine, 92-87, in the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Import Josh Davis scored 15 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter where the Bolts wiped out a 13-point deficit.
“It was a strong finish for us in the fourth quarter that made the difference in the game,” said Meralco head coach Norman Black, who steered his team to a league-leading record.
“I want to give a lot of credit to Josh Davis for having a big offensive night. A lot of people are criticizing him for his scoring and we did a good job of putting him in good position to score,” Black added.
Davis was only one of three players who scored for the Bolts in the last period. Mike Cortez fired seven of his 13 while Sean Anthony registered all of his eight points in the final frame.
Cortez tied the game and put Meralco ahead on a drive, 80-78, with 7:23 left then ROS guard Ty Tang drilled in a long jumper to knot the game for Rain or Shine before Davis took over.
Davis scored nine of Meralco’s last 12 points in the final six minutes and 41 seconds including a pair of free throws that stretched their lead to four, 91-87, with 1:13 left. He went 13-of-15 from the free throw line and also grabbed 14 rebounds and had five blocks.
“Davis is a good player particularly defensively. He’s not really a go-to guy in offense but he can score,” said Black. “What he works a lot in practice is his free throw shooting and so far he’s been respectable. He takes 200 a day. He really works hard to work on it.”
“I think what’s more important for us is being able to beat the best teams. And for us to step up and beat those teams is a big step for us.”
Rain or Shine has been one of the most consistent teams for the past several seasons with successive semifinals appearances. So are Talk ‘N Text and a talented Barangay Ginebra squad — the two other good teams Meralco has been able to beat so far.
“Every time you beat a powerhouse team is an accomplishment.”
Rick Jackson had 22 points and 18 rebounds for the Elastopainters, whose two-game winning streaked was snapped.
