MERALCO has some lofty goals in its sights and would hit one Sunday when it squares off with a resuscitated Converge side in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
After going on a 0-6 start to the conference, the FiberXers are now gunning for a second straight win that would fan their flickering hopes of taking one of the eight quarterfinal slots following the 11-game eliminations.
"It's still 1-6 so in a way disappointed pa rin kami, frustrated pa rin kami, masama pa rin pakiramdam namin," Converge coach Aldin Ayo has said.
"Pero we're not going to stop. There's (still) hope. We're gonna continue improving and we're going to continue building this team."
Far higher is the aim of the 5-1 Bolts, who can clinch a last-eight berth with a fourth straight win and also move closer to a twice-to-beat advantage rewarded to the top four teams in the next round.
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For Meralco coach Luigi Trillo, it should be mainly about his charges maintaining their focus like what they did in securing a 125-99 victory over NorthPort last week.
"We control our destiny so kung papabayaan namin sila na gawin 'yung gusto nila nasa amin," he said.
"Kailangan may paninindigan din kami na dapat huwag mangyari sa amin," added Trillo. "That takes a lot of focus, effort and intensity na makuha namin iyon, hindi puro laway lang."
What gives Trillo some optimism is the fact that Aaron Black has fully recovered from the foot injury that has sidelined him the last four games.
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And then there's Zach Lofton, a 6-4 guard initially tapped as one of Meralco's imports in the EASL before being picked as a hasty replacement for the injured Su Braimoh. He immediately made an impact by dropping a conference-high 54 points on the Batang Pier.
Lofton's explosion is a welcome development for Trillo, although his team had to make some adjustments.
"He's a different weapon," said the coach.
"Pero parang maganda ring may guard na ganoon so parang naninibago ibang mga teams na imports malalaki then bibigyan mo ng ganoon," added Trillo. "Truth be told, maganda rin inilalaro ni Zach dahil siya point of focus ng defense so minsan nalilibre rin iba."
Playing in his first game since suffering abroken nose last Nov. 11, Allein Maliksi marked his return with 18 points while Raymond Almazan and Brandon Bates made up for the Bolts' lack of a big import by combining for 26 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Whether Meralco's frontline would continue to hold remains a question since Converge is led by its own replacement import in Jamil Wilson, who is currently toting a two-game average of 31 points and 11 rebounds. (NC)
