WATCH: Things get heated between Arvin Tolentino and Raymar Jose!

Endgame commotion marred Game 1 of the PBA Governors Cup finals between Meralco and Barangay Ginebra @spinph @BrgyKings @barangayginebra @MeralcoBolts pic.twitter.com/yRx5GiHBBg

— gerryramos (@gerardmos) April 6, 2022

Meralco operated with a sustained strength and power in full four quarters, blasting Barangay Ginebra, 104-91, at the start of their PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-seven title showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

Tony Bishop and the Meralco locals complemented each other well, fashioning out a dominant win to gain the crucial head start in the race-to-four-games series.

Bishop piled up 20 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, with four locals also delivering double-digit outputs in a solid continuation of their conquest of the Magnolia Hotshots in the decider of their best-of-five semifinal faceoff.

Aaron Black stepped up with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists, and was named the Best Player of the Game.

“We really take pride in our effort on the defensive end. Pero sumabay ang opensa namin. Everybody came out to shoot the ball very well,” said Black, mentioning offensive contributions by Allein Maliksi (22 markers), Cliff Hodge (17) and Raymond Almazan (10).

“We’re happy for the win, but we’re not satisfied,” Black also said.

The Bolts try to sustain their romp with play shifting over to the MOA Arena in Pasay for Games Two and Three.