Five-foot-seven guard Anjo Caram has carved out an eight-year career with Meralco despite being one of the smallest players in the PBA.

On Friday, October 1, Caram proved yet again why Meralco continues to acquire his services in a game dominated by giants.

The former San Beda stalwart delivered from beginning to end and finished with a conference-high 16 points to help lift Meralco to a 97-86 win over NLEX in their do-or-die Philippine Cup quarterfinal match.

Caram – who also had 6 assists – shot a 4-of-8 clip from deep, sinking big shots in the final quarter as Meralco reached the all-Filipino semifinals for the second straight season.

“He is a great teammate, as well as being a good player. As far as I’m concerned, as long as I’m coaching, he can always be on my team,” said Meralco coach Normal Black of Caram.

Caram is the third-longest-tenured Meralco player, next only to Reynel Hugnatan and Cliff Hodge.

“That is the credit I give to him.”

Slotted in the starting lineup for the first time in the conference, the 30-year-old veteran set the tone for Meralco by knocking the first basket of the game from beyond the arc.

Caram then knocked down the proverbial daggers in the fourth period, converting a three-pointer and a layup in a pivotal 9-2 run Meralco used with six minutes left to shut the door on NLEX.

“Anjo has a lot of experience and he is always ready to play. There is no question about that,” Black said.

“Whether he plays five minutes or he plays 30 minutes, he is always ready to play. It was an easy decision to start him tonight and he came up with some big plays for us down the stretch.”

Caram and Meralco now turn their focus on a best-of-seven semifinals series against Magnolia, seeking to reach the Philippine Cup finals for the first time in franchise history. – Rappler.com