Varnado worth the wait as Meralco arrests skid with win over Ginebra
At A Glance
- Jordon Varnado made sure there was no power shortage this time for Meralco, providing the telling blows to get back at Ginebra, 97-88, to arrest a four-game slide in the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, Aug. 14.
Jordon Varnado made sure there was no power shortage this time for Meralco, providing the telling blows to get back at Ginebra, 97-88, to arrest a four-game slide in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, Aug. 14.
Varnado, who was the original import choice but went down with an injury, proved that he was worth the wait as he delivered 31 points in his debut — including a booming four pointer that doused the familiar Kings rally in the final frame.
Ginebra threatened to come back after trailing by as many as 12, cutting the lead down to just three, 78-81, enough to bring the crowd to life with their Ginebra chants.
The Bolts import,who was also solid on the defensive end with six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, had a louder response draining the four pointer to quickly repel the run from the Kings.
Chris Newsome provided support with 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Cliff Hodge had 13 points and seven rebounds.
With the win, the Bolts pumped life to their playoff hopes on Group B, improving to a 3-5 record while the Kings slid to a 2-4 slate.
Import Riley Grigsby did everything he could to prevent Ginebra from absorbing another defeat but his 34 points and 10 rebounds were simply not enough.