(PBA image)
Defending champion San Miguel Beermen made it official on Friday night, sealing the No. 1 seed in the PBA Philippine Cup while slamming the door on Meralco Bolts’ bid for a Top Four finish with a convincing 113–104 victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
With playoff positioning on the line, San Miguel showed why it remains the standard of consistency in the tournament. The Beermen leaned on their balance, experience, and depth to pull away from a Meralco side that entered the game riding a three-game winning streak and still harboring hopes of a twice-to-beat advantage.
June Mar Fajardo anchored the win with another dominant all-around performance, finishing with 21 points and 15 rebounds to control the paint from start to finish. CJ Perez matched him on the scoring end, also dropping 21 points, highlighted by four triples that repeatedly halted Meralco’s momentum.
San Miguel’s firepower did not stop there. Don Trollano erupted for 21 points of his own, giving the Beermen three 20-point scorers and turning what was expected to be a tight contest into a firm declaration of supremacy. The Beermen steadily widened the gap after halftime, building a 17-point cushion heading into the fourth before calmly closing the door.
The victory completed a nine-game winning streak for San Miguel, which wrapped up the elimination round with a league-best 9–2 record. As the top seed, the Beermen will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals against the No. 8 team.
Meralco, meanwhile, slipped to 6–5 and suddenly finds itself in a crowded and dangerous race near the bottom half of the playoff bracket. Coach Luigi Trillo’s squad showed fight, but the gap in execution was evident against the league’s most in-form team.
San Miguel coach Leo Austria stressed that his team never treated the matchup as a formality, despite already being in strong position heading into the game.
“A lot of people were thinking that this is a non-bearing game and we will just relax, but we respect the game and our opponents,” Austria said, underscoring the discipline he wants carried into the playoffs. “We have to be consistent as our preparation going to the quarterfinals.”
CJ Cansino led Meralco with 21 points, while Bong Quinto, Raymond Almazan, and Jeff Comia chipped in 11 each, but the Bolts could not overcome San Miguel’s relentless inside-out attack.
Heading into the final elimination playdate on Sunday, San Miguel sits comfortably at No. 1, followed by Rain or Shine, TNT, and Converge. The remaining seedings will be settled at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, where the final matchups will determine who survives and who falls into the sudden-death zone.
Scores
San Miguel 113 – Fajardo 24, Perez 24, Trollano 21, Cruz 11, Teng 7, Tiongson 6, Ross 4, Brondial 4, Lassiter 4, Tautuaa 4, Cahilig 2, Mantua 2
Meralco 104 – Cansino 21, Quinto 11, Almazan 11, Comia 11, Bates 10, Newsome 9, Black 7, Banchero 7, Hodge 6, Reyson 6, Rios 3, Pascual 2
Quarter scores: 29–25, 49–41, 83–66, 113–104
