Cardona to fore as Bolts down Rain or Shine in OT

Barangay Ginebra, idle last night, was the squad that was hardest hit when Mac Cardona played hero for Meralco on both ends of the floor.
Cardona hit the marginal floater with 56.4 seconds left and was aided by a crucial non-call on the other end as the Bolts escaped with a 118-116 overtime victory over Rain or Shine that gave Meralco an equal chance in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoffs at the Araneta Coliseum.
And speaking of equal chances, it’s not what the Gin Kings will have when the quarterfinals get off the ground starting tomorrow.
The Meralco victory put the Bolts in a best-of-three series against San Mig Coffee and Ginebra, because of an inferior quotient, dropped to No. 7 in the standings at the close of the round, meaning a clash with the Elasto Painters whom they need to beat two straight times to advance.
Ginebra, Meralco and later on Talk ‘N Text all finished with 7-7 slates after the Tropang Texters took an 87-76 loss at the hands of Petron Blaze in the nightcap.
But because of a better quotient, the Bolts took No. 6 and the Texters No. 5 with Talk ‘N Text earning a best-of-three shot against the No. 5 Boosters also starting tomorrow at the Big Dome in Cubao.
Rain or Shine finished second despite the loss at 9-5, as Alaska topped the round with an 11-3 record. The Aces will clash with Air21 also needing to win just once over the Express to make the Final Four.
Ginebra won six straight games at one point in the eliminations and actually flirted with a top two finish only to lose its last two games to be in this position.
The Gin Kings, meanwhile, have instigated a trade that would bring veteran point guard Josh Urbiztondo from Barako Bull, a move that is obviously aimed at helping LA Tenorio and cushioning the continued absence of Mark Caguioa.
Under the deal, Ginebra will give up rookie Keith Jensen and its second round pick in the 2015 Draft to the Energy, one of two squads that got the boot here together with Globalport.
Meralco got 50 points from Eric Dawson and Cardona finished with 19, six of them coming in the extra five minutes.
But his biggest play was the one that came against Rain or Shine big man Beau Belga, who had a shot at winning the game for the Painters at the buzzer with a three-point shot from top-of-the-key.
Cardona clipped Belga in the arm and got away with the foul and sealed the Meralco victory. Both players almost came to blows afterwards as Cardona whispered sweet nothings to the ear of the Rain or Shine center.
“It’s a great character win for us,” Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio said.
Dawson had a scary fall with 1:46 left in overtime when he twisted his left knee while going for a drive. He lay on the floor for more than a minute and limped the rest of the game, something which Gregorio later praised.
“It was Dawson who towed us to victory, playing with one leg (in the stretch),” Gregorio said of his import, who owns the season-high mark in scoring with 57 in a game.
“I haven’t assessed it yet (extent of the injury). All I heard (from Dawson) was ‘I will finish this (game), coach. I will not abandon my teammates.”