In a Christmas Day twin-bill featuring an enduring PBA rivalry and a rising league powerhouse, Converge made sure it didn’t fumble its chance to shine. The FiberXers found gaps in Meralco’s game all Wednesday night and pounced on the Bolts’ manpower woes for a 110-94 victory that gave the telco club a sixth win in eight meetings in the Commissioner’s Cup and a franchise milestone that should be useful as they forge ahead. “[We’re] just being grateful,” interim coach Franco Atienza said of the triumph fashioned before a thick crowd at the fabled Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
“When you’re grateful, you do your best. When you’re grateful you are ready [for anything]. And this was us being grateful that we’re able to play on a big day like Christmas [so] we can inspire and give glory back to our Creator,” the rookie coach said.
On the shoulders of Jordan Heading, Converge, a young club that played in its first-ever Christmas Day showcase, picked apart a Bolts squad that tried its darndest to hang on even without Raymond Almazan and Brandon Bates and with a crop of stars that were just coming back from injuries. Heading, a veteran of several Christmas Day games in several other leagues, had 30 points, five rebounds and eight assists, while import Cheick Diallo delivered 24 points and 18 rebounds. No.
1 rookie pick Justine Baltazar turned in his finest game since joining the FiberXers, finishing with 16 and seven as Schonny Winston and Alec Stockton.
