Meralco coach Norman Black happy with Tony Bishop's performance as Bolts import

Tony Bishop was not the first option as the Meralco Bolts import in the 2021  Governors' Cup.

Original option Shabazz Muhammad, however, had to be replaced due to personal emergency, so Bishop was tapped as his replacement.

Regardless, the US-born Panamanian still impressed in his first two outings so far for the Bolts. Head coach Norman Black said he is satisfied with what Bishop is showing so far.

"After two games, he's done very very well and I'm certainly happy with his play," Black said.

The 32-year-old forward drilled a double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals in Bolts' opening win against Blackwater.

He proved that it was no fluke as he again erupted for 36 markers and 17 boards en route to Meralco's 83-80 victory over sister team TNT on Wednesday.

"Another good game for Tony. He stepped up and made some big plays for us, none any bigger than the offensive rebound at the end of the game," Black said.

Up 82-80 with barely a minute on the clock, Meralco had the chance to score an insurance basket when Cliff Hodge attempted a three-point shot. He missed but Bishop grabbed the offensive board to deny TNT the possession.

The rebound proved crucial as it allowed Meralco to shave precious time off the clock. Chris Newsome iced the game with a free throw as TNT did not have enough time to orchestrate a play that could have sent the game into overtime.

"Whenever you play TNT, it's always going to be tough. They're one of the most talented teams in the PBA and we knew we really have to play good defense to have a chance of beating them," Black said.

"We knew that we would have to take care of the basketball and not turn it over so much to have a chance of beating them. It still came down to stretch, it was still a close game.  We made the plays to win the basketball game."

—MGP, GMA News