Bolts nip Hotshots, seize solo sixth

Games Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 3 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Phoenix 5:45 p.m. – Meralco vs Ginebra

Meralco outlasted Magnolia in a frantic finish, 86-84, to seize solo sixth in the PBA Governors’ Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts cranked up the power in the final canto, 33-23, to complete their fightback from 12 points down and beat the Hotshots for win No. 5 in eight outings.

KJ McDaniels knocked down three crucial free throws in the last 31 seconds to cap his team-high 19 points, which went with 15 rebounds and two steals, as Meralco secured its second straight win while stopping the four-game streak of Magnolia (now 4-4).

Antonio Hester topscored with 23 and 15 while Paul Lee rifled in 18 but missed the potential game-winning trey at the buzzer that sealed Magnolia’s fall.

“The game turned out what we thought it would be – a grindout game. It’s not very pretty; both teams relied much on defense but we made some stops down the stretch and even if there’s a chance to fall apart, our guys stuck together and grinded it out,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.

Earlier, riding on Encho Serrano’s fourthquarter rampage, Phoenix pulled off a 106-103 upset of Converge to push its own playoffs drive.

The high-flying young gun erupted for 17 points in the payoff period highlighted by the go-ahead short stab to spark the Fuel Masters to the vital third win in eight games and a firmer hold of No. 8 for now. – Olmin Leyba The scores: First Game Phoenix 106 – Serrano 28, Maxwell 19, Perkins 16, Tio 16, Muyang 8, Mocon 7, Camacho 4, Jazul 3, Manganti 3, Garcia 2, Alejandro 0.

Converge 103 – Franklin 30, Stockton 11, Balanza 11, Racal 11, Teng 11, Arana 11, Ahanmisi 10, Ebona 4, Tratter 4, Browne 0. Quarterscores: 23-24, 42-49, 66-69, 106-103 Second Game Meralco 86 – McDaniels 19, Newsome 16, Black 13, Quinto 12, Hodge 8, Maliksi 7, Caram 5, Banchero 4, Almazan 2, Jose 0.

Magnolia 84 – Hester 23, Lee 18, Jalalon 11, Barroca 11, Abueva 10, Dela Rosa 5, Escoto 4, Reavis 2, Corpuz 0, Ahanmisi 0, Dionisio 0.

Quarterscores: 20-18, 37-39, 63-71, 86-84