IT WAS one of those very rare times Anjo Caram was thrust into the limelight - and he made the most out of it.
Caram came up with a career game Sunday, propping Meralco's drive to a 103-89 victory over NorthPort and into a sure top four slot in the PBA Governors Cup quarterfinals at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
With starter Baser Amer seeing action but not yet in full form due to a groin injury the burden fell on Caram and he did not disappoint, highlighting his 30-point night with 16 in the fourth period that enabled the Bolts to stay clear of the tenacious Batang Pier and secure their fifth straight win.
Meralco thus improved to an 8-2 win-loss record and took over second-running spot over idle TNT (7-2).
Only 7-1 NLEX, set to meet Magnolia Ang Pambansang Manok later in the evening, has a better record but the Bolts could even pass the Road Warriors should they end the eliminations with another win against Rain or Shine next Sunday and the latter fail to get more victories.
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Either way, Meralco has already beaten Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer, which are still in the running for a top four finish and the twice-to-win advantage in the eight-team quarterfinals.
"This win is really nice because we really had a goal of making it to the top four and we really want to get the twice-to-beat advantage to have a slight advantage going into the playoffs," said Bolts coach Norman Black.
"I'm really happy for my players. They are focused on the goal and they achieved it tonight by getting their eighth win. It wasn't a pretty game but a lot of games aren't pretty. Just have to grind it out and win it," added Black.
Allen Durham had 26 points and 19 rebounds and Chris Newsome added 17 points and seven boards.
Clearly, however, it was Caram who stole the show in this particular night by coming off the bench and making 11 of 15 shots, including four of his six rainbow tries. For good measure, the former San Beda playmaker drafted 26th overall in 2013, added four steals.
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Not bad at all for a second-string guard who went into the game averaging 3.4 points and 15:37 minutes a game, the latter only because he logged more than 25 minutes last Friday when Amer did not play.
"I just wish he could do that every night because he was making shots from all over the court. He was making big shots, particularly in the second half," noted Black.
"I'm happy for him because he works very hard in practice. He's a guy with great attitude, comes to work every day, doesn't complain whether he's playing two minutes, 30 minutes. Doesn't make any difference," added Black.
"He always gives his best. So you have to be happy with a guy like that. You can see the response when he's making shots. Everybody in the team is happy for him."
The Bolts were at their happiest when Caram's last triple capped their decisive 11-0 surge that gave them a safe 101-85 advantage, only 1:16 left.
The loss was NorthPort's second straight, dropping it to a 3-6 slate and a tie for eighth with recent conqueror Alaska.
The Batang Pier are now left in similar must-win situations aganst NLEX on Wednesday and Ginebra on Sunday to advance outright.
Michael Qualls wound up with 27 points and 10 boards, Christian Standhardinger 20 and nine and Sean Anthony had his best game yet in the conference with 19 points on top of eight assists and four boards while anchoring the defense on Durham.
But NorthPort's failure to sustain both its offense and defense in crucial stretches ultimately led to its downfall.
Standhardinger getting thrown out after incurring his second technical foul with still 4:18 left also was a major factor.
Caram translated that 'T' into a free throw, completing his six straight points that plucked Meralco out of an 84-80 count and into a 90-80 spread.
The 28-year-old was also instrumental in getting Meralco off to a fine start in the payoff period, scoring seven points in a 12-3 spurt that gave them an 84-72 lead.
Caram already had 11 points at the half but Newsome and Durham also played big roles in helping quell each NorthPort uprising from an early 25-37 deficit and making sure Meralco stayed on top. (NC)
The scores:
MERALCO 103 - Caram 30, Durham 26, Newsome 17, Almazan 8, Pinto 8, Maliksi 6, Faundo 4, Hugnatan 2, Amer 2, Quinto 0, Jackson 0, Jose 0, Hodge 0, Jamito 0.
NORTHPORT 89 - Qualls 27, Standhardinger 20, Anthony 19, Mercado 9, Lanete 8, Taha 3, Ferrer 3, Elorde 0, Cruz 0, King 0, Escoto 0.
Quarters: 20-23, 50-45, 72-69, 103-89.
