PBA: Cliff Hodge gives all despite injury in Meralco playoff loss

Meralco Bolts forward Cliff Hodge gave it all despite playing through a right ankle injury in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals against the Phoenix Fuel Masters.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Meralco went down swinging in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals and nobody epitomized the Bolts’ heart more than Cliff Hodge.

After being hurt in Game 1 against Phoenix, Hodge played through pain in Meralco’s 88-84 loss on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.

Despite a bum right ankle, Hodge produced 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 37 minutes much to the delight of coach Luigi Trillo.

“Cliff has always been our cornerstone and the backbone of our defense. Nobody else epitomizes that. He couldn’t even walk on it two days ago, we said we’ll check it and feel him out but he played through it,” said Trillo.

“I’m proud of him. He played on one leg even when we were down by four earlier with how many minutes left.”

Cliff Hodge grimaces in pain as he clutches his right ankle following a bad landing in the fourth quarter of Meralco’s 116-107 triple overtime win over Phoenix in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals on January 17, 2024.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

The 35-year-old Hodge was a game-time decision for the Bolts on Sunday after a bad landing late in the fourth quarter of their 116-107 triple overtime victory on Wednesday that forced a do-or-die duel for the last semifinals berth.

While it was the freak accident that caused Hodge’s injury, Trillo bared that some of it may be due to Meralco’s exhausting schedule playing in both the PBA and the East Asia Super League.

“We have to find a way to give them a break… We just feel ourselves tired but also as a coach, I appreciate that because it gave us a chance to gain experience playing champion teams all over EASL but we do have to find the time to give them a break.”

Hodge averaged 8.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in the Commissioner’s Cup.