Texters lalapit sa finals

MANILA, Philippines – Kinuha ng TNT Katropa ang Game One noong Martes.

Ngunit para kay head coach Jong Uichico, isang laro pa lamang ito sa ka­nilang best-of-five semifinals series ng Meralco.

“It’s just the first game, it’s a series. We know Meralco can comeback and we can’t put our guards down,” wika ni Uichico. “We haven’t accomplished anything yet. It’s a long way to go.”

Puntirya ang malaking 2-0 bentahe sa serye, lalabanan ng Tropang Texters ang Bolts sa Game Two ngayong alas-7 ng gabi sa 2016 PBA Governor’s Cup sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Pinatumba ng TNT Katropa, tumayong No. 1 team sa elimination round, ang Meralco, 113-95, tampok ang 22 points ni Asian import Mike Madanly, habang nag-ambag sina rookie Troy Rosario, import Mychal Ammons, Jayson Castro at Ranidel De Ocampo ng 16, 15, 14 at 12 markers ayon sa pagkakasunod.

Humakot naman si reinforcement Allen Durham ng 26 points, 21 boards, 7 assists, 3 blocks at 1 steal sa panig ng Bolts.

Umaasa si Durham na makakahugot siya ng solidong suporta mula sa iba pang Meralco players bukod kina Cliff Hodge at Jared Dillinger na nag-ambag ng 16 at 12 points, ayon sa pagkakasunod.

“Couple of our main guys, they need to step it up in Game Two,” wika ni Durham. “But it’s a series so I’m pretty sure they’ll bounce back.”

Sa nasabing panalo sa Game One ay tumipa ang Tropang Texters ng 15-of-30 three-point shooting.

“It’s just you don’t want to do a scoring game with TNT because they can outscore every team in the league,” wika ni one-time PBA Grand Slam champion mentor Norman Black.

Samantala, kasaluku­yan pang naglalaro ang nagdedepensang San Miguel Beer at ang Barangay Ginebra sa Game 2 ng kanilang best-of-fives semifinal series habang isinusulat ang ito.