Bolts outlast Kings in Game 1

MANILA, Philippines - They took it all in – the unrelenting drive from the other side and the roar of the crowd but nothing could simply unnerve the Meralco Bolts.

Not Barangay Ginebra’s third-quarter breakaway, not an 11-point deficit with six minutes left in regulation and not LA Tenorio’s career-high 36-point performance, including a clutch runner that sent the game into overtime.

The Bolts kept their cool and played steady throughout and took care of business in the extra period, drubbing the Gin Kings, 114-109, in Game One of their PBA Governors Cup title playoff before a crowd of over 14,000 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Coming out with the energy and passion that carried them into their first finals appearance, the Bolts pulled one over the Kings for the first time in the season.

“Good time to beat them,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.

“(It’s the) first game of the championship, and it’s a well-fought game. We struggled a bit until Anjo Caram started in the second half and gave us some lift on his defense against LA. Allen Durham has always been a driving force for us. In the end, the others started clicking,” Black also said.

Durham churned out a near triple-double game with 46 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, and drew the needed support from Chris Newsome, Reynel Hugnatan and Jimmy Alapag as the Bolts sustained their romp from their semifinal conquest of the top seeded TNT KaTropa Texters.

It became extra special for Alapag as he banged in two three-pointers to tie Allan Caidic’s record of 1,242 career triples – the most by anybody in the local pro league.

The game hung in the balance when Alapag drained the record-tying trey to push Meralco ahead by one at 101-100 with time down to 33.4 seconds.

The Bolts later made it 102-100 on a split by Durham with 6.8 ticks to go.

The Kings, however, won’t just fade away easily, sending the game into overtime on one of the numerous big shots by Tenorio in the contest.

But the Bolts won’t be denied as Durham asserted himself in OT.

Tenorio waxed hot from the start, engaging Durham in a shootout with both making 20 points in the first half.

The Ginebra ace playmaker fired seven as they pummeled the Bolts, 25-11, in the second period to enjoy a 53-42 lead at the turn.

The Bolts blew an eight-point lead and trailed by 11 at the half as they suddenly threw clunkers – 3-of-22 – in the second period.

With Sol Mercado and Mark Caguioa taking over in the third, the Kings opened their 16-point lead at 58-42.

Meralco, however, made a key run in a stretch bridging the last two quarters as the Bolts zoomed ahead at 81-80.

And the two teams engaged in a gripping duel to the finish. To Alapag and Tenorio belonged clutch buckets forcing overtime at 102.

The scores:

MERALCO 114 – Durham 46, Newsome 17, Hugnatan 15, Alapag 13, Faundo 8, Amer 5, Caram 4, Hodge 4, Buenafe 2, Nabong 0, Uyloan 0.

GINEBRA 109 – Tenorio 36, Brownlee 17, Caguioa 14, Devance 13, Mercado 8, Thompson 8, Aguilar 6, Cruz 5, Marcelo 2, Mariano 0.

Quarterscores: 31-28, 42-53, 75-80, 102-102, 114-109