PBA: Ginebra overcomes slow start to beat NLEX, nail playoff berth
Barangay Ginebra weathered a bout of food poisoning and bucked a lethargic start to pull the rug from under NLEX, 105-96, and clinch a playoff spot in the PBA Philippine Cup Saturday at Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena & Cultural Center in Pampanga.
“We had a real bad case of food poisoning. The hardest hit was Mark Caguioa. Sol (Mercado) was hit hard, I was hit hard. We had about 8 or nine players suffering from [it],” Gin Kings coach Tim Cone said in a streaming post-game interview.
“It was real hard to get ourselves up and get ready for this. I wasn’t sure if Sol was gonna play or Mark. But we found a way,” he said.
Leading the charge was Japeth Aguilar, who delighted the hometown crowd with 27 points and nine rebounds. LA Tenorio pumped in 17 while Greg Slaughter and Kevin Ferrer each tallied 14 more to help Ginebra close in on the No. 2 spot currently held by Rain or Shine.
“Slowly we caught up, got ahead and was able to hold on,” Cone added. “We had to adjust our defense so we could battle that a little bit more. I felt we played a really good second quarter defensively and that gave us kind of a blueprint for the rest of the game.”
The victory hiked the Gin Kings’ record to 6-3, putting them just behind 7-3 TNT KaTropa who are also in the running for the last twice-to-beat bonus.
NLEX unloaded eight triples for a fiery start, but was unable to sustain that hot shooting during the middle quarters.
Poy Erram and JR Quiñahan had 16 and 15 points respectively in the losing effort, which still drew praises from Cone.
“NLEX is playing really well. You look at them, they’re a whole lot of a no-names on that team, but they’re all playing like superstars.”
Cone, whose squad has two more teams left to play, said that their biggest drive is to avoid the heavyweights in the first round of the playoffs.
“I think you want to really avoid top teams like San Miguel, TNT and of course, Phoenix and Rain or Shine —you want to avoid them in the first round,” he said. “So if you get to the Top 2, you get that chance [to do just that].”
But he is also aware that a sweep is required to pull off such task, and two teams stand in Ginebra’s way.
“I’m trying to win us as many games as we can. And stay with right what’s ahead of us. And right now, that’s Meralco,” he said.
“They’re not out by any means … and it’s always hard to go against a desperate team,” Cone said of the Bolts who they face this Wednesday at the Big Dome.
Ginebra’s last assignment is NorthPort, which it will face on April 3 after the All-Star break.
The scores:
Ginebra 105 – Aguilar 27, Tenorio 17, Thompson 14, Ferrer 14, Slaughter 14, Chan 7, Dela Cruz 7, Mariano 4, Mercado 1, Caperal 0.
NLEX 96 – Erram 16, Quinahan 15, Tiongson 12, Galanza 12, Paniamogan 8, Ighalo 8, Tallo 8, Magat 6, Lao 5, Soyud 3, Taulava 3, Baguio 0.
Quarters: 30-19, 51-46, 72-74, 96-105.
