Meralco hands Blackwater first PBA Governors’ Cup loss

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Meralco Bolts spoiled the Blackwater Bossing’s undefeated dream start after hacking out a nail-biting 116-114 win in the ongoing PBA Governors’ Cup on July 21, 2026, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

After trailing by as many as 14 points in the first quarter, the Bolts slowly trimmed their deficit and completed the comeback midway through the second frame.

Meralco shifted its point of attack after going cold in its half-court sets, opting to push the ball at a pace that caught the Blackwater defense off guard at the start of the second quarter.

Just when the Bolts thought another walk in the park was in store after establishing a 17-point advantage in the third period, Blackwater did not back down from the challenge and regained its footing in the pivotal fourth quarter.

With only five minutes remaining in regulation and Meralco still leading by 10 points, 113-103, the trio of import Kentrell Barkley, Sedrick Barefield, and RK Ilagan sparked Blackwater’s late rally by staging a 9-1 run to pull within two points, 114-112.

Barkley kicked off the Bossing’s comeback attempt with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, followed by Barefield’s layup and Ilagan’s back-to-back baskets.

Ilagan was not done torching Meralco, as a handoff play with Barkley resulted in a converted perimeter jumper that tied the game at 114 and forced the frustrated Bolts’ coaching staff to call another timeout.

Blackwater came close to retaking the lead after Barkley was momentarily open for a layup, but Cliff Hodge tracked down the charging import and swatted away the attempt.

With only 16 seconds remaining and the game still deadlocked at 114, Barkley had the chance to redeem himself, but his lefty floater bounced too hard off the rim, giving the Bolts the game’s final offensive possession.

Superstar Chris Newsome helped Meralco avert disaster by burying the game-winning layup off a Chris Banchero assist.

Blackwater had ample time to force overtime or win the game with a 3-pointer, but its drawn-up play out of a timeout with only 3.9 seconds left was disrupted by Newsome’s tremendous defense on Ilagan.

Reinforcement Antonio Hester led Meralco with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists, while Newsome and Banchero finished with 20 points apiece.

Barefield, Barkley, and Ilagan delivered 29, 28, and 20 points, respectively, but their combined 77-point effort was not enough to keep Blackwater’s unbeaten streak alive.

Meralco aims to sustain its momentum on July 24, 2026, against the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, while Blackwater seeks to rebound on the same date against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.