Sina Vahedi caught fire down the stretch as the Meralco Bolts withstood a furious Macau Black Bears rally to secure their third straight EASL win.
Sina Vahedi made sure Justin Brownlee’s long-awaited Meralco debut came with the finish it deserved.
Vahedi fired 13 of his 23 points in the fourth as the Bolts survived the Macau Black Bears, 93-91, to claim a third straight win on Saturday, December 6, at the Capital Arena in Ilagan City, Isabela.
Meralco looked firmly in control after ballooning the lead to 20 midway through the third, but that cushion quickly evaporated as Macau stormed back, slicing the gap to just three at 87–84.
Brownlee momentarily restored order with a soaring throwdown that pushed the Bolts ahead, 93–86.
However, Damian Quongchi answered with five rapid-fire points and dragged the Black Bears within striking distance at 93–91 with just 31 seconds left.
Macau had one last chance to steal the win, but Phoenix Shackelford blew the inbound pass that sealed a great Bolts escape.
Ismael Romero produced a 24-point, 17-rebound double-double as Brownlee struggled with 12 points on a 5-for-16 shooting but had 10 rebounds.
Meralco may have strengthened its grip on second place in Group B with a 3–2 card, but the victory didn’t come without a scare.
The Bolts lost import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson midway through the third quarter after he went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury, abruptly ending his night and casting a shadow over the hard-earned win.
He was escorted straight to the locker room by teammates, finishing with 15 points, seven assists, and four rebounds in 19 minutes.
Meralco wraps up its EASL group stage against the Ryukyu Golden Kings on Wednesday, February 11 next year, while Macau takes on the Taoyuan Pilots on the road on Sunday, December 14.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.