BARANGAY GINEBRA WINS AGAIN
With reigning MVP Mark Caguioa at the forefront of their bid, the Barangay Ginebra Kings scored their first successive victories in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the expense highly formidable champion teams.
Caguioa sizzled with a conference-best 28 points and the Kings followed up a win over second-conference titlist San Mig Coffee the last time out with a 107-100 triumph over Philippine Cup titleholder Talk n Text before a crowd of over 16,000 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
Vernon Macklin and LA Tenorio contributed 24 and 20 points, respectively, as the Kings stood their ground in a fierce shootout with the Texters, nailing a third win in eight starts in the mid-season tourney.
The Kings hit at a 51.8-percent clip as they put in the highest production by any team against the Texters in the conference.
To coach Alfrancis Chua, their defense, however, was the big key.
“Talk n Text is a very strong team but we confused them on what we’re doing on defense,” said Chua.
“I didn’t ask the players to win the game. I just asked them to follow our defensive plan, don’t give up at makukuha natin ito,” Chua added. “Ginulo namin yung pick-and-roll, dribble-drive and drive-and-kick nila. It worked.”
Everything fell into place for the Kings at the finish, making the stops and a key run to make it two in a row and catch up with Air21 and Barako Bull at joint seventh at 3-5.
The Texters suffered their first defeat with Donnell Harvey as import and dropped to joint fourth with San Mig Coffee and Meralco at 4-4.
“Dalawang malaking isda yung nahuli namin. Nasa-cellar pa rin kami pero dikit-dikit naman. We just have to keep on winning,” said Chua.
Talk n Text actually also shot well, particularly Harvey, Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro and Larry Fonacier who put in at least 16 points apiece.
However, the Kings made the bigger shots.
Macklin slammed in a feed by Rudy Hatfield and canned in the accompanying foul shot then Tenorio sank two free throws of his own as the Kings settled the outcome of the game at 107-98.
Ahead by just three, 92-89, the Kings went to Tenorio, Caguioa and Hatfield as they took a seven-point cushion at 99-92 with 2:44 left.
Alapag still kept TnT in the game in pumping in back-to-back treys.
The 2011 MVP winner rifled in four treys in the fourth quarter and five in all in the game as he, along with Harvey, topscored for Talk n Text with 23 points each.
Down by four, 98-102, the Texters eventually yielded as Fonacier misfired a harried three-pointer then Macklin came through with his three-point play in the ensuing sequence. (SB)
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