PBA: Bolts shock Barako Bull, forge four-way tie for second place

(Updated 10:07pm) The Meralco Bolts continue to electrify, outscoring the Barako Bull Energy Cola 59-38 in the second and third quarters on route to a 99-86 victory, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, creating a gridlock for second place in the 2012-13 PBA Philippine Cup. After the day's games, four teams, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, the Alaska Aces, and fresh winners San Mig Coffee Mixers and the Meralco Bolts are all 4-2, good for second place. Said record is actually the best start to a season in Meralco's franchise history. Barako Bull on the other hand fell to 2-5.   “We made sure that we matched the emotions of Barako,” said Meralco head coach Ryan Gregorio. “And the best way to do that is to play defense.” Barako Bull actually led 21-19 after the first quarter, but they needed a Josh Urbiztondo triple early in the second to tie things at 26-all. Meralco then unleashed a 14-4 run that made 40-30, following a pair of Reynel Hugnatan free throws. A pair of triples from Ronjay Buenafe and Sol Mercado added to the Bolts' tally, tagging the score at 48-34. So potent was Meralco's offense that they managed to keep most of their lead, going into the intermission up 53-40. After the halftime break, Meralco still managed to channel their momentum, while conversely, Barako Bull continued to look flat. The Bolts surged, as  a13-4 run gave their side a 22-point buffer, 66-44. Two free throws from Buenafe after a flagrant foul by Mick Pennisi then allowed them to post their biggest lead of the game at 24 points, 68-44. Despite a 78-59 mountain to climb, heading into the final period, Barako Bull dug in deep and began to eat into their deficit. Their resolve showed, as back-to-back triples by Urbiztondo and Leo Najorda made it a single-digit gap, 85-76 with 5:20 remaining. Sean Anthony reduced it further with a basket off an Urbiztondo pass at the 4:45 mark, but Buenafe was there to stunt their rally with a cold-blooded triple. A spree of looks at the line, including a technical free throw after a call on a complaining Barako head coach Junel Baculi allowed Meralco to rebuild their advantage back to double-digits, 91-81. The refs then slapped one on Bolts head coach Ryan Gregorio, ironically, for getting mad at his own player for comitting an offensive foul, but Ronald Tubid was unable to hit the free throw. On the next play, Enrico Villanueva attacked the shaded lane to get a foul call, 2:02 left. Mercado also drew a technical for complaining, but once again the Bulls squandered their opportunities, as they went 1-of-3 on that possession, 91-82. Off a timeout, Buenafe stole a score from the napping Barako defense to make it 93-82. Leo Najorda answered back with 1:36 remaining in the game, but after Mercado's offensive rebound got picked off, Barako Bull missed on multiple opportunities. And when the Bolts finally corralled the rebound, they zipped the ball to a wide-open Sunday Salvacion for the nail in the coffin, 95-84. Cliff Hodge then closed things out with an undefended dunk to arrive at the final score. Sol Mercado led the scoring blitz for Meralco, scattering a game-high 22 points along with six rebounds and six assists. "Sol did a good job of controlling our offense," Gregorio said, tipping his hat to his lead guard. Ronjay Buenafe and Mark Cardona each added 16 markers, while Reynel Hugnatan flashed an all-around game of 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Josh Urbiztondo and Doug Kramer had 14 each for Barako Bull. Enrico Villanueva, despite going 1-of-12 from the field, still manged to post a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. “The best thing about our team right now is nobody cares who gets the credit as long as we get the win,”  Gregorio added, as his squad now gears up for a game against the reigning Governors' Cup champs, Rain or Shine, on Sunday. Meralco out-assisted Barako Bull 19-to-15, which led to them shooting 49.4 percent from the field, versus Barako's 37.8 percent clip. - AMD, GMA News The scores: MERALCO 99 - Mercado 22, Buenafe 16, Cardona 16, Hugnatan 12, Hodge 8, Salvacion 8, Borboran 6, Reyes 5, Artadi 4, Sharma 2, Bulawan 0 BARAKO 86 - Urbiztondo 14, Kramer 14, Najorda 13, Villanueva 13, Yap 9, Tubid 7, Pennisi 7, Marcelo 3, Co 2, Alvarez 2, Anthony 2, Ballesteros 0 Quarter scoring: 19-21, 53-40, 78-59, 99-86