MANILA, Philippines — On the cusp of going up 3-1 in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, the Meralco Bolts underscored the need to play at a high level once again as they battle a “hungry” San Miguel Beermen squad.
After a cardiac 93-89 win on Sunday, Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo said the team needs to function as a whole to have a fighting chance against the defending champions, who are known for their depth.
“It’s not me or him, it’s we. Marami kami. Led by Coach Nenad and the staff, to [Chris Newsome], to the last guy. But we have to play at a high level when we play San Miguel,” Trillo told reporters.
“They have a lot of championships already, they always had their poise… We have to be more disciplined than them, we have to play both ends of the floor. It’s gonna take a lot.”
In Game 3, San Miguel’s reserves scored 47 total points, with three players scoring in double digits off the bench.
Big man Mo Tautuaa led the team with 19 points off the bench. Don Trollano and Jeron Teng likewise provided the spark off the bench with 11 and 10 markers, respectively, while Jericho Cruz had seven.
But aside from the second-string production, CJ Perez (18 points,) June Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter (12 points) were the only ones to score in the Beermen’s loss.
With this, Trillo stressed that they are focusing on the all-important Game 4, which will either give them a massive 3-1 lead or tie the series up at two games apiece.
“[The championship] is far from our mind right now. We’re dreaming in la la land. We have to be humble and we need to put our feet on the ground and focus on the next game,” the coach said.
“We have to continue to play at a high level. If not, San Miguel will make us pay,” he added.
Meralco is playing in its first PBA Philippine Cup finals, and are aiming to record their breakthrough championship in this conference.
Newsome spearheaded the Bolts’ charge in Game 3 with 26 points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.
Bong Quinto added 16, while Chris Banchero and Cliff Hodge chipped in 10 each.
“We’re just focused on the next game. We are just focused on Wednesday, and we have to see the things that we need to tackle, certain things they did,” Trillo said.
“We need to see those things, we need to get better at that and again, we have to play at a high level. [Newsome] was at a high level… You know, you have to be playing there [at that intensity] if you’re gonna expect to beat this team. So, we take it one game at a time.”
Game 4 will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.