ANTIPOLO CITY, Philippines – Heart over height.

Anjo Caram played bigger than his 5-foot-7 frame and had the performance of his life as he erupted for a career-high 30 points to help Meralco nail the first twice-to-beat playoff bonus in the PBA Governors’ Cup. 

Despite being the smallest player on the court, Caram put the team on his back after sinking 11 of his 15 field goals and 4 of his 6 three-pointers in the 103-89 win over NorthPort on Sunday, November 10. 

The Bolts won their fifth straight game and raised their record to 8-2 to improve to No. 2 in the standings – and that is largely thanks to Caram finding his touch. 

“I’m happy for him ’cause he really works hard in practice,” Meralco head coach Norman Black said of Caram. 

“He’s a guy who has a great attitude, comes to work every day, doesn’t complain about anything. Whether he plays 2 minutes, 30 minutes, doesn’t make any difference.” 

To put to perspective how great of a game Caram had, he nearly matched the 31 points he scored in the first 9 games combined in the season-ending conference.

Caram fired 16 points in the payoff period, almost singlehandedly beating the Batang Pier, who had 20 fourth-quarter points. 

The former San Beda standout also had 4 steals and 1 block, proving it was not just on offense Caram had a massive impact. 

It was an unexpected showing from a player who is not a primary offensive option, but Black knew Caram was well-capable of it having impressed in a game involving NBA players Isaiah Thomas and Mo Speights. 

That, though, did not reduce the surprise factor. 

“I told Anjo after the game that his performance reminded me of a game we played in Vegas. We trained there as a team. We went up against pro players, legitimate NBA players, a scrimmage against them,” Black shared. 

“He must’ve scored 28 points. He was hitting from all over the place. We were all shocked that day and a little bit shocked today.”

A role player his entire PBA career, it was simple a matter of rising to the occasion for Caram when a teammate goes down.

This time, Caram needed to fill the void left by Baser Amer, who played despite nursing a groin injury that sidelined him in their previous game. 

“It’s a part of the job as a role player that every time you’re inside the court, you need to give your best, give energy, and when your team has the lead, you have to help extend or maintain it,” Caram said in a mix of Filipino and English. 

“That was just my mentality – that I will give my best and stick with the game plan. I just need to play my game and help my teammates inside the court.” – Rappler.com