Magnolia’s major move

No wasted lead this time for Magnolia.

After a 0-2 start, the Hotshots finally found a way to build and actually sustain a separation in a wire-to-wire, 112-98, decision over Meralco for their first win in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Magnolia doused cold water on the Bolts’ scary fourth-quarter uprising with a decisive 17-6 run to open a 13-point gap with less than four minutes left after Meralco closed in by just two.

Import KJ Buffen had a double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds to go with five assists for the Hotshots, who snapped Meralco’s back-to-back win streak in Group B.

Zav Lucero had 20 points and 11 boards with two steals, two assists and two blocks while veteran big man Ian Sangalang provided quality minutes, scoring 16 for Magnolia.

Guards Mark Barroca and Jerom Lastimosa added 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Hotshots, who tied Rain or Shine with a 1-2 win-loss slate.

“I’m thankful to coach LA (Tenorio) for the trust. We just followed our gameplan to get this win tonight. We just believed that it doesn’t matter how we start but how we finish the game,” said Sangalang, who made all his first six attempts to finish with an efficient 7-of-9 shooting from the field.

“We just kept our composure and trusted our system. We played hard every. We didn’t give in when Meralco repeatedly made runs. We just gave our best to get this win because if we dropped another one, we’ll be in a more difficult situation,” he added.

The Hotshots had a serious scare in the payoff period when the Bolts rallied to breathe down their necks, 88-86, after an Aaron Black jumper with 8:54 left.

Lucero answered with a layup followed by a Rome Dela Rosa basket that ignited Magnolia’s crucial run to get out of trouble.

Dela Rosa sank a wide-open trey off a Lucero assist to give the Hotshots a 105-92 lead with 3:49 remaining on the clock.

Antonio Hester’s pair of charities pulled Meralco to within a single-digit deficit, 105-96, with 1:41 left. Lucero dealt the finishing blows with seven straight points, including a triple at the final buzzer.

“I just have to give credit to my players. Just like what Ian said, I told them that they just have to believe that we can battle with these strong teams, top teams, you know, seasoned teams. That’s what we want to see,” Magnolia head coach LA Tenorio said.

“Again, we still have lots of things to work on, especially on the defensive end. We still have lots of lapses. But for us, we really need this win. This is a very important win for us. I hope this will be the momentum we’re looking for.”

The Hotshots went out smoking right from the get-go and erected a 31-20 lead after the first quarter.

Magnolia established a 42-28 lead in the second frame and maintained the hold of the driver’s seat the rest of the way.

The Bolt slipped to a 2-2 record.

Hester got 28 points and 10 rebounds, CJ Cansino added 12 and Bong Quinto hit 11. Black finished with 10 points.