MANILA — Like fire-breathing dragons wreaking havoc in the final quarter, the Meralco Bolts came from behind to torch the crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, 95-88, in a PBA Philippine Cup roadgame in Digos City, Davao del Sur Saturday. Once again 2012 fourth draft pick Cliff Hodge showed unbounded energy and all-around brilliance, scoring 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals to lead the Bolts into their second win in three games. Mac Cardona actually top scored for Meralco with 21 points while his backcourt partner Sol Mercado chipped in with 19 points. But it was Hodge who electrified the crowd and inspired his teammates as he endured numerous hard whacks and bumps by the Kings to come up with a stellar performance reminiscent of his two previous games where he surprisingly led the Bolts in scoring. All 10 players Meralco head coach Ryan Gregorio fielded scored with Mark Borboran contributing 15 points and Ronjay Buenafe adding 10. Mark Caguioa and Chris Ellis led Ginebra with 19 points apiece as the Kings suffered their first setback after winning their first two games. Down by 16 points in the first half, the Bolts sprang to life in the third canto as their long-range bombs finally hit their mark. Two huge triples by Cardona and Borboran sparked a scorching run that enabled the Bolts to grab the lead, 63-55. The Bolts padded their lead to 11, 67-56, on back-to-back jumpers by Mercado. Ginebra managed to cut the deficit to four at the end of the third quarter, but the Bolts came roaring back in the final canto, taking an 87-77 lead with 5:55 left in the game. Baskets by Billy Mamaril and Rico Maierhofer allowed the Kings to cut the deficit to five, 89-84, with 2:42 left. But Hodge once again rose to the occasion as he grabbed an offensive rebound for a put-back to give Meralco a nine-point edge, 93-84, with 1:12 remaining. Gregorio was ecstatic after the game. “It was really a great game and a great victory, especially because it's against Ginebra,” he said. “Overall, it was great effort by the team. Everybody played his roles. They played with a lot of intensity. We were down in the first half but they did not give up. It's still a long way to go,” the Meralco coach said.
