Alvin Padilla and Hans Thiele of Kia Sorento (dark) vs Anthony Semerad of Globalport Batang Pier (light). NUKI SABIO/PBA
MANILA, Philippines—With the game going down the stretch, the Globalport Batang Pier proved steady in the end-game, pulling off an 84-79 victory over the Kia Sorento during their encounter at the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum Tuesday evening.
Rookie Anthony Semerad steered the Globalport ship in the final minutes, scoring from both the field and the line to counter every possible run that Kia could have staged.
With the scores at 69 apiece, neophyte guard John Pinto gave the Batang Pier a 72-69 lead with a three-pointer from the top of the key with 5:26 left that sparked a 9-2 run with Semerad capping it off with a an elbow jumper to put the boards at 78-71.
Globalport head coach Pido Jarencio said the victory, which put his team in the .500 mark at a 2-2 win-loss slate, boosted the wards’ confidence going into the latter stages of the eliminations.
“This victory is morale-boosting and confidence-building,” Jarencio said. “The players had that sigh of relief.”
He added that his team has endured so much from staying at the bottom for several conferences already.
Globalport had to play without point guard Alex Cabagnot who was suffering from a throat ailment.
Without Cabagnot, the Batang Pier had to find someone who can fill in the 17 points per game void that the ace guard puts up.
And Ronjay Buenafe heeded the call.
Buenafe poured in 19 points and played some neat defense along the way with one block and one steal.
Top pick Stanley Pringle added 13 points with eight boards and six assists with Semerad and Mark Isip adding 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Big man Hans Thiele led Kia with 19 points and eight boards with Reil Cervantes adding 15 and Alvin Padilla pitching in 11 points as they go 1-3 for the conference.
RELATED STORIES
Ginebra, Globalport favored vs rookie foes