AARON Black and Allein Maliksi provided the firepower as Meralco Bolts snapped a two-game losing skid with a hard-fought 77-73 win over Rain or Shine in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Black topscored with 20 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting while Maliksi added 19 points for the Bolts, who improved their record to 4-3 in a tie with Magnolia Timplados and NLEX.

Black capped his game-long brilliance with a dagger three-point shot that sealed the win for Meralco.

Cliff Hodge and Raymond Almazan also contributed 23 points between them for coach Luigi Trillo, who called the shots for the team in the absence of head coach Norman Black.

Black left for the United States to attend to his ailing mother.

The younger Black dedicated the victory to his grandmother after the game.

“First of all, my grandmother. She’s sick right now that’s why my dad Norman is not here so that’s big for me,” said Black, who was also named as “Best Player of the Game.”

He also credited his teammates for their trust in him.

“They encouraged me a lot after our last game. They knew I really struggled so sa practice sinasabihan nila ako, to keep shooting,”added Black in an interview after the game.

It was another sorry ending for Rain or Shine, which only has three players in double figures.

Gabe Norwood finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, Mike Nieto had 12 points and Beau Belga had 11 points for the Elasto Painters, who dropped their sixth straight game after an opening day win against Converge.

Overshadowed by Meralco’s triumph was Barangay Ginebra, which routed Terrafirma, 106-82, to gain a share of the lead with San Miguel Beer.

More importantly, Ginebra assured itself of a playoff berth.

Japeth Aguilar finished with 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and seven blocks for the Kings, who won their second game under interim coach Richard del Rosario.

Christian Standhardinger had a near triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Scottie Thompson had seven points 12 rebounds and six assists.

Juami Tiongson had 24 markers in a losing effort for Terrafirma, which dropped to 0-7.

The scores:

First game

Meralco (77) — Black 20, Maliksi 19, Hodge 13, Almazan 10, Newsome 7, Quinto 6, Pascual 2, Baclao 0, Jose, Pasaol 0, Hugnatan 0, Caram 0, Belo 0.
Rain or Shine (73) — Norwood 13, Nieto 12, Belga 11, Torres 8, Borboran 8, Caracut 7, Santillan 6, Nambatac 6, Demusis 2, Mamuyac 0.
Quarterscores: 17-13, 35-38, 53-54, 77-73.

Second game

Ginebra (106)- J.Aguilar 22, Standhardinger 18, Tenorio 13, Tolentino 12, Pringle 8, Thompson 7, Mariano 6, Chan 5, Caperal 4, Pinto 4, Salado 3, David 2, R.Aguilar 2, Onwubere 0.
Terrafirma (82)- Tiongson 24, Cahilig 14, Gabayni 14, Camson 9, Calvo 7, Munzon 6, Gomez de Liano 6, Balagasay 2, Mina 0, Enriquez 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20, 48-50, 82-72, 106-82.

Standings

W L
San Miguel 6 1
Ginebra 6 1
Blackwater 4 1
TNT 7 2
Magnolia 4 3
NLEX 4 3
Meralco 4 3
NorthPort 2 5
Phoenix 2 5
Converge 2 5
Rain or Shine 1 6
Terrafirma 0 7