Antonio Hester has earned his keep after a stellar performance that powered Meralco to its first win in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup.

Brought in for a temporary capacity with original reinforcement Jordon Varnado still recovering from injury, Hester drew praises from head coach Luigi Trillo following the Bolts’ 122-114 victory over Rain or Shine on Saturday at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.

The 36-year-old Hester scattered 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and added two assists in a productive 29-minute debut for Meralco in Group B of the season-ending conference.

“Yeah, well, I thought Hester in the first six minutes, he was in better shape than some of our guys,” Trillo said.

“Hulog ng langit si Hester (Hester’s heaven-sent). It’s nice to have a quality guy like him while JV’s injured.”

The Bolts signed Hester, who suited up for Terrafirma and Magnolia before, after Varnado sustained a minor muscle strain during practice.

Meralco was forced to play all-Filipino in a sorry opening-day loss to Phoenix, 97-98, last Wednesday.

Hester kept the Bolts in the game despite their sluggish first half, where they trailed by as many as 11. Although scoring only seven in the second half, Hester contributed the intangibles as Meralco rallied to turn the tables around.

“Obviously, we’re hoping JV can get back. But for us, you know, Hester knows the league. He also knows other imports. (Rain or Shine import Aaron) Fuller, he played against him in the Indonesian league. They were 1-1. So, you know, he’s heaven-sent,” Trillo said

“He’s got good rapport with the guys. He sets good screens. He knows the league. Plays bigger than his size.”

With Varnado expected to skip two to three more games, Hester will have more opportunities to build his case to stay.

But so far, Meralco is satisfied with Hester’s services.

“So, at this point, we’re lucky. At least we have him. And then, you know, when JV gets healthy, we’ll see from there,” Trillo said.