Newsome helps Meralco survive SMC gauntlet, wins PBA Player of the Week plum

MANILA, Philippines – Its playoffs fate still uncertain, Meralco survived the lion’s den and emerged out of it with only a scar to show on the way to clinching a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Ranged against the powerhouse SMC troika of Barangay Ginebra, Magnolia and San Miguel in a tough, week-long stretch, the Bolts stood their ground and did not shy away from the fight, winning two of their three games that propelled them to the playoffs.

The team pulled it off without Coach Norman Black, whose mother passed away in the US last week, with deputy coach Luigi Trillo and team captain Chris Newsome steadying the ship for Meralco.

During the crucial span, Newsome scattered all-around numbers, while holding his own on the defensive side to help the Bolts climbed at 6-4 and solidified their place in the Top 6 for a spot in the best-of-three series.

The seasoned guard normed 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists laced by 1.3 steals in three big games for Meralco, earning for him the Cignal Play-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honor for the period July 13-17.

In a hotly contested race for the weekly honor, Newsome prevailed over Rain or Shine’s Rey Nambatac and San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo following a close vote from among the men and women who regularly covers the PBA beat.

“It’s just a part of the challenge for us to have this type of schedule. It’s not something we look down on but something we looked at as a challenge. That’s something that not every team has to go through,” said Newsome.

The former Rookie of the Year started the week with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in Meralco’s 90-73 rout of Barangay Ginebra.

Against Magnolia, he delivered stat lines of 24-4-5-1-1 in a 97-88 overtime loss, before putting up 16 markers, five boards, and five dimes in the Bolts’ thrilling 89-86 victory over San Miguel.

“We feel if we’re capable of getting through that together, then we’ll be prepared come playoff time, and I think that’s exactly what this last stretch did. It got us ready for the playoffs.”

Newsome, however, deflected the credit to the entire Meralco team for displaying a valiant stand dedicated to coach Norman and teammate Aaron following a loss in their family.

“You have to give credit to this whole team because we keep each other going. It doesn’t matter who’s scoring as long as we get the win.  But when we play together, we realize we’re capable of doing great things. That’s what you saw during this stretch,” he added.