Bolts repel Enforcers for quarterfinal bonus

MANILA, Philippines – Allen Durham played tough throughout and Jared Dillinger came out of a scoreless first half with a 22-point burst as Meralco rallied to beat Mahindra, 104-99, and secure the No. 4 ranking in playoff play in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

With tremendous push from Durham and Dillinger, the Bolts charged back from a 16-point deficit at 41-57 and squeezed through in a tight finish to earn the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

Pitted against the Enforcers themselves in the quarters, the Bolts take their first of two cracks at the semifinals on Saturday over at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.

Durham and his teammates repulsed the Enforcers twice in 11 days, handing coach Norman Black a personal milestone with his 601st career coaching win that tied the record of legendary coach Baby Dalupan. Tim Cone is on top of the ladder with 833 wins, followed by Yeng Guiao with 637.

The youthful Mahindra coach Chris Gavina gave Black anxious moments but the latter and his troops pulled through in the end with huge lift from Durham and Dillinger in the second half.

“AD (Allen Durham) has always been a solid foundation for us. A lot of credit also goes to JD (Jared Dillinger) with his clutch baskets,” said Black.

“JD knocked in big three-point shots. Normally, when JD shoots well, we win the game. Hopefully, he can keep it up in the playoffs,” he added.

In its second tourney in pro play, Phoenix Petroleum advanced to the playoffs after upending Commissioner’s Cup titlist Rain or Shine, 105-94, in a knockout duel later in the night.

Eugene Phelps came through with 40 points and 14 rebounds while Josh Urbiztondo turned in five triples and a total of 23 markers as Phoenix clinched the last playoff berth, gaining the right to challenge elims topnotcher TNT KaTropa in the Final Eight.

Playoff starts tomorrow with No. 2 San Miguel Beer and No. 3 Barangay Ginebra taking on NLEX and Alaska Milk, respectively, at the Big Dome.