Bolts strike again

NLEX bounces back, stuns Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines — Eight months after ending the dynasty of San Miguel Beer, the Meralco Bolts denied the redemption-seeking Beermen a winning start in the 46th PBA Philippine Cup last night.

Picking up from where they left off in 2020, the Bolts stamped their class on the Beermen anew, 93-87, to soar to a leading 2-0 card in the young season at the Ynares Sports Arena.

The Bolts, who beat a depleted SMB side twice in the quarterfinals of the Clark bubble meet, made it three-in-a-row head-to-head on the day superstars June Mar Fajardo and Terrence Romeo returned from injuries and CJ Perez made his debut.

“San Miguel is San Miguel. It’s an All-Star team, it’s basically the national team. It’s good to get a win against them and get them behind us as we look ahead to tough games against TNT and Phoenix next,” said Bolts coach Norman Black.

Chris Newsome (17 points), Aaron Black (14), Reynel Hugnatan (13) and Nards Pinto (11) turned in double-digit productions to lead Meralco past SMB and secure a follow-up to their 85-63 rout of NorthPort on opening night.

The Bolts started flat and faced an early 11-point deficit but settled down and got their rhythm by the second period.

Meralco grabbed a 15-point margin at the end of the third then quelled the Beermen’s fourth-quarter uprising with booming triples from sophomore Black to seal the deal.

Romeo fired 18 for SMB before limping out with 8:32 left. Trade acquisition Perez debuted with 17 while six-time MVP Fajardo, back from a fractured shin, had five markers and five boards in 18 minutes.

Kevin Alas (20) and Kiefer Ravena (19) provided the 1-2 punch as the Road Warriors rebounded from their 82-83 heartbreaker to Rain or Shine at the expense of the Gin Kings.

“We’re quite lucky Ginebra was playing its first game, and they’re still a bit cold. But I also want to credit our defense because this is a powerhouse team, if you don’t defend well, you won’t have a chance against them,” said NLEX’ Yeng Guiao.