Ginebra rolls to third straight win, trumps Blackwater
Doing their homework during the All-Star break, the Barangay Ginebra Kings stretched their winning streak to three games with a 107-95 whipping of the Blackwater Elite in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
Justin Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio all produced big numbers as the Gin Kings survived what coach Tim Cone believed to be a “worrisome game” and stayed right behind the tournament leaders with a 4-1 win-loss card.
“I was really worried about this one. I thought it’s a real danger game for us coming from a long break. We had a lot of guys doing All-Star stuffs and we lost some practices,” said Cone.
But it took the Gin Kings a little while to comfort their coach.
Brownlee came up with a remarkable all-around effort with 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Aguilar came through with a double-double with 19 markers and 11 boards while Tenorio had 23 points.
Joe Devance, Sol Mercado, Dave Marcelo, Mark Caguioa and Jervy Cruz had significant contributions as the Gin Kings stayed perfect versus the Elite, 3-0, this season.
“The guys worked really hard. The guys came out well, defended well and passed the ball around well. The ball movement was great. Everybody’s passing. Our so-called superstars passed the ball around and it’s fun to watch,” said Cone.
Brownlee played better than his previous games as he, in particular, did his homework during the All-Star break.
“Brownlee worked hard with coach Kirk Collier to get in shape,” said Cone.
He pushed himself hard in the second half, scoring 10 points in the third period and nine in the fourth to anchor Ginebra’s steady finish.
Tenorio and Brownlee combined for three straight treys as Ginebra broke the back of Blackwater, 103-97, entering the last two minutes of the game.
Blackwater failed to recover and suffered a third loss against a lone win.
Ginebra made a 15-point turnaround in the second quarter, creeping from seven points down, 21-28, to grab an eight-point lead, 48-40, at the half.
Brownlee, Tenorio, Caguioa starred in their second-quarter rise where they outscored the Elite, 27-17.
Eric Dawson and Paul Erram spearheaded Blackwater’s strong start in the contest, taking the opening quarter at 23-21 before enjoying a seven-point spread at 28-21.
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