PBA: Bowles helps Llamados pull the plug on semis bid of Bolts

(Update 2, 11:08 p.m.) Denzel Bowles piled up the points when B-MEG needed it most as the Llamados defeated the Meralco Bolts in their PBA Commissioner's Cup knockout encounter Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.   The 6-foot-10 Bowles had an all-around game of 28 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks to help the Llamados win the short best-of-three quarterfinals series, 2-1, and arrange a race-to-three semifinals date with sister-team Barangay Ginebra.   The Llamados-Kings best-of-five Final Four series starts Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. This will be the first time that B-MEG and Ginebra will be playing in a playoff series in an import-flavored conference.   This will be the third time that B-MEG and Ginebra will duke it out in playoff series, both in the All-Filipino conferences. The Gin Kings won their first encounter in 1988 while the Llamados, carrying the Purefoods brand back then, returned the favor in 1997.   Meralco, enjoying a 67-61 lead after three quarters, went scoreless in an 11-minute span in the final period with the Bolts shooting 0-of-16 from the field. Import Earl Barron missed all of his seven attempts in that stretch.   While the Bolts floundered in the fourth, B-MEG—behind Bowles' game-long brilliance—slowly pulled away and enjoyed an 80-73 edge with still more than two minutes left in the contest.   Marc Pingris' four-point swing, with 1:20 to go, sealed B-MEG's win.   Peter June Simon and Joe Devance contributed 16 and 15 markers apiece while James Yap and Pingris, limited to only nine and six points each, grabbed a combined 24 of the 57 rebounds by the Llamados.   Sol Mercado paced the Bolts with 27 points while Barron tallied 23 markers, 11 rebounds and four blocks.   Reynel Hugnatan was the other Meralco player that managed to score in double-digits with 10 and 13 rebounds. Mark Cardona, who was ejected in the Bolts' 99-92 loss last Wednesday, was held to two points on 1-of-9 field goal shooting. — JVP, GMA News Scores: