LUIGI TRILLO, MERALCO SAVOR HOME CROWD BACKING IN EASL MATCH

MANILA, Philippines—Meralco isn’t usually considered a crowd favorite in the PBA.

But on Wednesday night, Smart Araneta Coliseum rocked for the Bolts in the East Asia Super League (EASL), much to the delight of coach Luigi Trillo.

“We thank everybody, the fans, for coming out,” Trillo said after the Bolts’ tough 88-79 loss at the hands of Ryukyu.

“We didn’t get the results we wanted but we’re very appreciative of the crowd that came out and we’re very grateful that they came out.”

Much of the support poured in for the Bolts since they were representing the Philippine side in the regionals.

Justin Brownlee, Ginebra’s longtime resident import suiting up for the Bolts, drew the loudest cheers despite finishing with just 12 points. The crowd stayed behind him throughout.

Even Ismael Romero, who was caught in a wave of controversy after an incident with Nic Demusis in Dubai, heard jeers turn into cheers when Meralco went on a late-game run against the Golden Kings only to fall short in the end.

Trillo also noted that Meralco could have given the fans a better showing had the team spent more time practicing together.

“If we were playing high quality and high level games, I think we would’ve been better,” he said.

Meralco finished its EASL campaign with a 3-3 record in Group B.

2026-02-13T10:31:54Z