MANILA, Philippines – Norman Black admitted he was the happiest person to see Cliff Hodge get back in a Meralco uniform as the Bolts ended a 3-game losing streak with a 105-76 win over Kia on Wednesday, January 24.

Hodge, who was sidelined for almost 3 months after undergoing surgery that removed bone spurs on his ankle, tallied 8 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting on top of 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal against the Picanto. He also registered a plus-minus of plus-23, the most for the Bolts tying Baser Amer.

“Nobody’s happier than me to see him back. I mentioned earlier about the lack of effort against TNT and we seemed to have a low energy level against TNT. We all know that’s all Cliff is about,” said Black.

“He’s about energy and effort and probably just his presence really helped us a great deal tonight because he does give a lot of effort out there, particularly on the defensive end. And he’s a good team player so I’m happy to see him back.”

The Bolts had been on a slide after winning their maiden game of the season against the Blackwater Elite last December 22, dropping games against San Miguel, Alaska and TNT. A major reason for that slump was the absence of Meralco’s bigs in Hodge and Ranidel de Ocampo, Black said.

Now back in the rotation, Hodge does not see himself having his playing time extended to his usual minutes, especially since he is supposedly to be out for 3 more weeks.

“Actually, my ankle still hurts so I’m just playing through that until it gets better,” said the 29-year-old Filipino-American. “I know that we needed some wins so I said if I can go up and down. I’m not 100 percent but I mean, I can go out there on defense. I just decided to come back and try and do whatever I can for my team.”

Meralco, which has a 2-3 record, will try to get a winning streak going when it faces the Globalport Batang Pier on Sunday, January 28. – Rappler.com