By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Meralco Bolts officially punched their ticket to the PBA Governor’s Cup playoff round as the no. 2 seed of Group A after demolishing the Terrafirma Dyip, 124-82, on September 21, 2024, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
After a disappointing loss to the Converge FiberXers in their previous game, Meralco vented its ire on Terrafirma and handed them a 42-point beating in their last match of the elimination phase.
The Bolts quickly pounced on Terrafirma after establishing a commanding 19-point lead after the first 12 minutes of action.
From their waxing hot three-point shooting to their post-plays designed for their import Allen Durham, Meralco dominated all facets of the game and didn’t give Terrafirma any room to breathe.
At the end of the half, Meralco was already ahead by 29 points and sustained their momentum when the third canto kicked off.
Despite a defensive adjustment deployed by Terrafirma in containing Meralco’s looks in the shaded lane, the Bolts showcased its lethal three-point shooting as they drowned the Dyip with a barrage of trifectas.
With eight minutes still remaining in the final frame, Terrafirma already threw the white towel and pulled the majority of their starters in the floor.
Alvin Pasaol delivered when Meralco needed a boost, top-scoring the MVP-backed squad with 21 points built from five made three-pointers alongside eight rebounds.
Pasaol, who was called up when the Bolts needed a punch in the offense, showcased his deep scoring bag and dropped 15 in the final 12 minutes alone.
CJ Cansino, the super rookie from the Iloilo United Royals, backstopped Pasaol with 15 points derived from a perfect 7/7 shooting from the charity stripe.
Meralco’s young frontcourt enforcer Brandon Bates was also spectacular for the Bolts after finishing with a perfect 4/4 shooting from the field with 11 markers and seven boards.
