On Tuesday, the Meralco Bolts took a big step toward potentially making it to the PBA Governors’ Cup playoffs with a 120‑115 victory over the Blackwater Bossing. It is Meralco’s second straight win after a mid‑conference four‑game swoon and fourth in nine games. Crucially, it moved the Bolts to solo fourth in Group B, one win ahead of the Bossing and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Nothing is for certain for Meralco just yet, but team captain Chris Newsome is hoping his Bolts can stay true to their calling card as a team—and that means bringing the intensity, not just in games but also in practice.
“It’s about our approach to the game. Coming out every single day, it starts in practice with the right intensity first and foremost,” he told Rebanse after Meralco’s escape act against Blackwater. “If we come with intensity in practice and we push each other in practice, it’s going to make the games feel a lot easier. So, that’s the point of emphasis from coaches, just making sure our energy is right first and foremost, and then we can talk about the X’s and O’s…”
Newsome, Bolts Bring Enough Energy vs. Bossing
The Bolts brought the intensity against Blackwater—and had just enough in the end to eke out a win. But, in the second and third quarters, Meralco was electrifying, putting up 65 points to Blackwater’s 50 to take a double‑digit lead into the final frame. That energy, though, appeared to ebb for much of the fourth quarter, before Newsome and Jordon Varnado gave the Bolts that one last push to fend off the Bossing’s spirited charge down the stretch.
That stretch when the Bolts surrendered every bit of the 20‑point lead they built in the third quarter probably won’t sit well with Newsome, who maintains that Meralco’s calling card is playing with heart and hustle. But, for a while on Tuesday, it was the Bossing who were displaying heart and hustle as they fought back furiously from a double‑digit lead.
Meralco Needs to Bring It
Moving forward, Newsome is hoping Meralco stays true to its identity—that is, if it wants to make the playoffs.
“That’s been our go‑to and our calling card for a long time [and that] is to play with heart, play with a lot of hustle, grit, all of those things,” he said. “We just want to make sure we keep that identity at Meralco.”
The Bolts have a couple of days to bring that intensity to practice and then carry it over to a must‑win game against the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Friday, October 16, at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
