Author: Bon Maddagan
Photo Credit: PBA Images
The Meralco Bolts dominated the interior: making shots, getting offensive rebounds, and converting second-chance points to claim win number 6 in their game against the Northport Batang Pier on Sep. 14. They now secure a spot in the second round.
Chris Newsome was exceptional today. He did a little bit of everything and topped it with 20 pts. Chris Banchero was right behind him with 19. CJ Cansino (12), Brandon Bates (12), and Anjo Caram (10) all provided good support. Import Allen Durham was also feasting tonight, he had a huge double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Northport, on the other hand, received a huge boost from Arvin Tolentino’s 28 big points. Joshua Munzon added 17 for their cause. But struggled to find consistent contributions from their teammates. It also didn’t help that their Import Venky Jois suffered an injury within the first few minutes and missed the rest of the game.
Cuntapay And Cansino Shine In First Half, Banchero’s Late Surge Gives Meralco The Lead
The game started with both squads shooting the ball really well. Damie Cuntapay inspired his squad with a quick 10 points while CJ Cansino countered with two 4-point shots. It was a tight affair until Banchero netted 7 points in the last few minutes of the half to create a little separation (59-67).
The intense action continued in the second half. But Meralco managed to stay in control thanks to their dominance in the glass and Northport’s struggle in making shots. The former were up by as much as 14 at one point (63-77).
Northport made a number of pushes to bridge the gap in the 4th. But they couldn’t get any closer than 8 points (95-103). The Bolts had answers for everything and would cruise on to win the game.
The Scores :
- MERALCO 114 – Durham 23, Newsome 20, Banchero 19, Cansino 12, Bates 12, Caram 10, Quinto 7, Almazan 6, Hodge 5, Pascual 0, Mendoza 0, Torres 0, Jose 0
- NORTHPORT 104 – Tolentino 28, Munzon 17, Cuntapay 12, Navarro 11, Yu 9, Flores 9, Amores 7, Jois 4, Bulanadi 4, Jalalon 3, Tratter 0, Onwubere 0, Nelle 0, Taha 0
- QUARTERS: 41-37, 67-59, 89-80, 114-104
