SAN JOSE, Batangas, June 3 ------ Meralco put on a masterful performance on both ends of the court to beat Barangay Ginebra, 78-69, at the FPJ Arena to clinch a finals berth in the PBA 48th Season Philippine Cup.
Chris Banchero led the Bolts’ offense in Game Seven with a career playoff-high 24 points, while rookie Brandon Bates was a revelation on defense with six blocks, helping Meralco return to the finals for the first time since the 2019 Governors’ Cup Finals which they lost, ironically, to the Kings. The Bolts fell behind early and were trailing by 11 in the second quarter, only to lead by as many as 16 in the contest, 74-58, on a Banchero layup in the fourth. Aside from his blocks, Bates also had six points and 13 rebounds, while containing Christian Standhardinger, who had to earn his 16 points in the game and went just 6-of-17 from the field and 4-of-12 from the foul line.
Meralco closed the series by winning the last two games of the semifinals to arrange a date with San Miguel, which it beat in the elimination round. They play in the All-Filipino finals for the first time in history when the best-of-seven series begins on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. “This is big for the franchise. We’ve been to other conferences, import-backed, but this is the first time na All-Filipino,” said coach Luigi Trillo.
Banchero also nailed four three-pointers in the contest, while also grabbing five rebounds. Chris Newsome then poured in 20 points and six assists for another finals appearance in his career. “I thought the guys were poised. We’ve beaten them back-to-back. That’s something to be proud about,” said Trillo. “We’ve got to put our focus now on the finals.”
Scottie Thompson had 20 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and four steals, his best output in the semifinal series, albeit in a losing effort. A pair of Stanley Pringle threes sprung Ginebra to a 28-17 lead in the second quarter, but the Gin Kings couldn’t keep the lead entering halftime when the Bolts finished the period with a 19-3 burst for a 36-31 advantage.
The scores:
MERALCO 78 – Banchero 24, Newsome 20, Quinto 10, Hodge 8, Bates 6, Caram 3, Almazan 3, Maliksi 2, Pascual 2, Mendoza 0.
GINEBRA 69 – Thompson 20, Standhardinger 16, Pringle 13, J. Aguilar 8, Pinto 5, Ahanmisi 4, Cu 3, Tenorio 0.
Source: spin.ph
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