Bolts streak past Texters, level series

MANILA, Philippines - Allen Durham was the tower of power and the Meralco core players backed him up with bristling offensives as the Bolts stung the TNT KaTropa Texters, 106-91, to set a 1-1 deadlock in their PBA Governors Cup best-of-five semifinal playoff at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Durham delivered 27 points and 17 rebounds just in the first three quarters and the whole Meralco team fought menacingly all throughout in a big rebound from their poor Game One performance.

Forty-eight hours after competing just in the first half Tuesday, Durham and his teammates returned pushing themselves hard from start to finish, and foiled TNT’s bid to take a decisive 2-0 lead in the race-to-three-games series.

Instead, the two teams break a one-game all deadlock in Game Three tomorrow at the same venue.

Meanwhile, San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra face off tonight for the pivotal 2-1 lead in their own Final Four showdown that has proved to be an exciting battle among the combatants on the floor and between the strategists on the bench.      

Coach Leo Austria hopes to get his Beermen to be more consistent and steadier throughout while coach Tim Cone aches for a good start by his Gin Kings.

“We played a lot better tonight than the way we did in the second half in Game One. We played much better offensively and defensively, and we’re more prepared on what they tried to do,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.

“I made a series of adjustments. I expect coach Jong (Uichico) to come up with something different, something new in the next game, and we have to be ready,” Black added.

Everything turned out well for the Bolts except for Jared Dillinger limping while holding to his right hamstring visibly hurt after a layup with only 77 seconds left in the lopsided game.

Dillinger,  Jimmy Alapag, Chris Newsome, Cliff Hodge and Reynel Hugnatan were the local aces playing key roles with Durham in the vital victory.

“A big key was trying to find a way to give AD room to move on the floor. Spacing was important and so was the ball movement, but the most important was to make the shots. We did that tonight,” said Black.

The scores:

MERALCO 106 – Durham 31, Newsome 17, Alapag 16, Hodge 15, Hugnatan 12, Dillinger 8, Uyloan 3, Amer 2, Nabong 2, Faundo 0.

TNT KATROPA 91 – Castro 24, Ammons 15, De Ocampo 10, Rosario 9, Tautuaa 9, Williams 9, Ababou 7, Carey 2, Fonacier 2, Madanly 2, Rosales 2, Rosser 0.

Quarterscores: 29-15, 54-40, 80-60, 106-91