Solomon returns to lead Meralco to huge victory over erstwhile unbeaten Petron Blaze

Flashy guard Solomon Mercado returned from sick bay to power the Meralco Bolts to an  80-70 win over the erstwhile unbeaten Petron Blaze Boosters last night in the 37th PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Mercado missed a few games to rest an injured knee and returned to active duty with ablomb, tallying a team-high 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.

“The team was playing great without me and it feels good to return and play this way,” said Mercado, who went six-for-13 from the field.

The Bolts pocketed their third win in five games, bouncing back from an 84-89 loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters for a solo second place.  The loss stopped Petron’s three-game win streak and lost grip of the solo leadership.

Petron, Barako Bull, Talk N Text and Rain or Shine now all have 3-1 (win-loss) records.

Rain or Shine was playing the Alaska Aces as of this writing.

Meralco was in control for most part of the game and led at the end of every quarter.

The Bolts went into the fourth with a 58-49 lead and was never really threatened the rest of the way.

Gabby Espinas scored 14 points, making him the only other Bolt to score in double figures but Meralco had six players contributing at least six points.

Arwind Santos paced the Boosters with 17 points, while Chris Lutz and Joseph Yeo pitched in 16 and 11, respectively.