Bolts survive Barako rally

MANILA — Ronjay Buenafe fired three triples in the fourth quarter to power Meralco Bolts to a 112-104 victory over Barako Bull in the 38th PBA Commissioners Cup elimination round at the Araneta Coliseum yesterday.

Meralco was tied at 85 before Buenafe struck from the three-point zone to trigger a 27-19 wind-up that sealed the win, the Bolts’ fourth in seven games.

“We were preparing ourselves defensively, but it was such a great relief using our offense as our arsenal. It’s good to see players waking up after a long sleep like Ronjay Buenafe, who was answering the call. In our team, you just would not know who’s going to light up,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.

The Energy Cola Boosters, however, dropped to the seventh position with a 3-5 card, just a game behind San Mig Coffee which is sporting a 3-4 record.

“For tonight it’s Buenafe who had shone brightest offensively for us. It was a tough line about to begin. But on Friday we will play against Petron. Today, we have a very good game plan guarding our 3- pointers. Barako Bull import Evan Brock got tired towards the end and it was a great relief for us to have our guns blazing in the fourth quarter,” Gregorio added.