The Meralco Bolts held Barangay Ginebra to its lowest output in the second quarter, paving the way for a 78-69 victory over the Gin Kings on Friday night in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Finals at a packed FPJ Arena in San Jose, Batangas.
The Bolts’ defense focused on Christian Standhardinger in the second quarter, which helped them sustain their momentum into the second half. Chris Banchero and Chris Newsome led the scoring for Meralco, contributing 24 and 20 points respectively, earning the Bolts their first-ever All-Filipino finals appearance.
“This is big for the franchise. The guys were focused,” said Bolts coach Luigi Trillo, noting that their defense limited the Gin Kings to just 11 points in the second quarter.
Banchero scored eight points in the third period, turning the game in Meralco’s favor. The Bolts led by five points, 36-31, at halftime. Banchero’s pair of three-pointers in the last 6:30 of the third quarter extended their lead to 10 points, 46-36.
Meralco finished the best-of-seven series with a 3-2 record, earning the right to clash with defending conference champions San Miguel Beermen.
The Beermen, who swept their semifinals series against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, will face the Bolts in a race-to-4 Finals series starting June 5 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Meralco had tied the series earlier with an 86-81 win over the Gin Kings last Wednesday.
