Stepheson’s presence invigorates Bolts

Alex Stepheson plans to make his next move against Eric Camson. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

Through three games this 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Meralco has been playing with its confidence at an all-time high.

And a lot of that is rooted from having someone like the hulking Alex Stepheson manning the paint.

Jared Dillinger admits that Stepheson’s performance has rubbed off on the rest of the team as the Bolts racked up three straight victories to start the second conference.

READ: Bolts staying patient with Stepheson

“When we got a presence like Alex, it gives you confidence that you could be aggressive playing against their wings knowing that he’s got our back down low. We feel that he’ll be there getting every rebound. When you got a guy like that behind you, you feel you can do anything. We’re really blessed to have him in our squad,” he said.

But Stepheson can’t shoulder all the load, and he hasn’t needed to so far with Meralco’s local force also doing their part.

The reinforcement racked up 20 points and 27 rebounds in the Bolts’ 94-89 win over TNT on Friday and four mainstays contributed at least 10 points each.

READ: Import powers Bolts’ 3-0 start

Dillinger shot 3-of-8 from three to finish with 17 points, playmaker Baser Amer added 17 markers, two boards, and two assists, while Meralco’s bench crew also chimed in 27 points.

“That’s the only way you’ll beat a team like TNT,” he said. “We’re not going to have one guy shoot 25 shots and hope that he makes it all. For a team like TNT, you need a balanced attack because they’re too good, too smart. Tonight, the locals stepped up and hit shots when we need to. Tonight was our night,” said Dillinger.

Despite the positivity emanating from perfect showing so far, Dillinger knows that their start will be moot if the squad couldn’t sustain this run for the rest of the conference.

“It’s a great start, but just like anything else, it’s a long season to go,” he said.

“It’s nice that we’re 3-0, and we’ll try to stay ahead of the good teams because we still have a tough schedule ahead, but we still got long ways to go. We still haven’t proven anything. We got to take it a game at a time, be humble, celebrate tonight and be happy, but after that, then it’s back to work again.”