BLACKWATER Elite officials must have wished they renewed Niño Canaleta’s contract instead of releasing him after the veteran forward scored the crucial points to power his new team, the Meralco Bolts, past the Elite last Friday.
Canaleta and the Elite failed to come to terms after the expiration of his contract. Canaleta balked at the Elite’s offer and instead tried his luck elsewhere.
Although he was set on playing in the Philippines, for a while he considered playing in Thailand. Thankfully the Bolts, who sorely needed additional firepower with their starting forward Ranidel De Ocampo still on the injury list, came calling with the right offer.
Canaleta said he didn’t want to be away from his family. His first choice remained the PBA and was thankful for the Meralco offer. After his spectacular debut, the Bolts were equally thankful Canaleta decided to stay.
Canaleta was singularly responsible for beating the Elite. He scored a game-high 25 points ( with 10 in the fourth), grabbed nine rebounds, issued two assists and had two blocks while starting for his new squad.
The Elite almost erased a 19-point deficit in the fourth period and came dangerously close by cutting the gap to just 95-92. Canaleta doused cold water on their rally by drilling a dagger three to peg the count at 98-92 and eventually propel the Bolts to a 103-98 victory.