After close win, Bolts brace for tougher grind ahead
Meralco import KJ McDaniels. –PBA IMAGES
Meralco tabbed a key victory on Sunday night that coach Norman Black believes would prime his charges for a torturous week ahead.
“We really thought this was an important game for us,” he said on the heels of an 86-84 squeaker over pesky Magnolia at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
“We still play Ginebra on Wednesday, we have Converge on Friday and Phoenix on Sunday … so all three would be really tough for us,” he went on.
Counting the clash against the Hotshots, Meralco plays four matches over the course of eight days. And with a 5-3 (win-loss) mark that’s only good for a sixth spot in the Governors’ Cup, and the playoff positioning about to hit a frenzy, the Bolts have all the reason to do well.
Fortunately, they’re off to a great start.
“We struggled throughout and I think everybody would admit that. But we just grinded it out, we stayed together, nobody blamed anybody for not playing well or not going well, and we stuck it out and got the victory in the end,” Black said.
Key for the Bolts
Import KJ McDaniels was steady for Meralco in the contest, while four more were just as commendable, including Bong Quinto—who could very well be key for the Bolts in their next three games.
“Bong is coming off a really good conference. He averaged over 13 and a half points a game last [Commissioner’s Cup] and he played really, really well for us,” Black said.
“I just started him in the last couple of games and he’s made a difference with his play. He’s a big part of our team. He’s really a big part of our rotation and I expect he’s going to step up for us to have any type of success,” he added.
Magnolia saw its four-game winning streak snap that night. But interestingly, the Hotshots are looking at their remaining games the same way as their conquerors.
“Just a couple of mental mistakes at the end of the game that we made that obviously, I think, we’re going to fix moving forward before the playoffs,” import Antonio Hester said after his team dropped to a 4-4 card for seventh place.
“We did fairly well, we can’t hold our head on it, coach (Chito Victolero) said we have until 12 o’clock to dwell on it,” Hester said. INQ
