Jordon Varnado proved to be worth the wait on Friday, making the big shots down the stretch in the Meralco Bolts’ 97-88 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
For a brief moment, though, it looked like Varnado’s electric debut would be cut short with another injury—right in his very first game back from a calf issue that sidelined him from Meralco’s first seven games of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Varnado Goes Down
Early in the fourth, Varnado went full steam ahead in transition, only to lose the ball as his left knee buckled without contact. The 29-year-old reinforcement lay prone on the floor for a few seconds and looked in obvious pain.
Then, he did a few push-ups, propped himself back up, and punished Ginebra down the stretch, hitting a massive four-pointer with less than three minutes left to quell a barangay uprising. Afterward, a grateful Varnado assured the Meralco faithful that he’s perfectly fine and is looking forward to changing the Bolts’ fortune.
“I just like to thank the team for believing in me. It’s been hard and rough for us these past couple weeks, but we’re going to change the fight,” Varnado told reporters after the game. “It was a little bit scary, but I’m okay. I’m fine. Just my knee buckled a little bit, so it’ll be alright.”
After a scintillating 31-point, 6-rebound debut, Meralco and its fans are hoping he’s okay.
More Work in the Long Break
With his first game back for the Bolts out of the way, Varnado is now focusing on putting in more work to help Meralco finish the eliminations strong. And he will have all of eight weeks to get back into game shape and reintegrate himself fully into the Bolts’ system.
“I’m just happy to be out there on the court,” Varnado stressed. “I haven’t played since June, so I just feel good to get the first win. We just got to continue to fight once we come back from this break, and I’m gonna continue to work during this break.”
Varnado and the Bolts return to action on October 13 when they face the Blackwater Bossing at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
