Kings ease out Aces
Ginebra turned back Alaska for the second straight game last night, 108- 97, and caught the last bus to the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Coach Tim Cone raised his clenched fists after LA Tenorio hit a long shot that gave the Gin Kings what proved to be a safe 102-91 lead in the final 80 seconds.
The crowd favorites held on the rest of the way as their fans raised Ginebra placards in victory, signaling the team’s entry into the next round.
It was a difficult road to the semis for Ginebra, which needed to beat Alaska twice in the quarterfinals. But it’s really nothing new for the “never-saydie” squad.
Ginebra will play surging Star in a best-of-seven semis beginning tomorrow. San Miguel and Talk N Text will begin their own series tonight. There was jubilation in the Ginebra bench as the time ticked away but Cone said he had to remind his players that there are more battles to be fought.
“I had to tell them that this is not the championship,” said Cone inside the pressroom.
“We’re just looking forward to moving on,” said Cone, who as a PBA coach had experienced both winning and losing a series under the twice-to-beat format.
“I know how difficult it is to lose one like this,” said Cone, who drew steady performances from Aljon Mariano and Kevin Ferrer who finished with 20 and 15 points, respectively.
Tenorio finished with 31 points, 13 of them in the third period.
“LA was the leader of course,” said Cone, who crossed the halfcourt line to shake the hands of Alaska coach Alex Compton even before the buzzer sounded.
The game was tied for the last time at 63. Then Ginebra surged ahead and enjoyed its biggest lead at 89- 75 with over seven minutes remaining. The scores: GINEBRA 108 – Tenorio 31, Mariano 20, Ferrer 15, Thompson 10, Mercado 9, Ellis 9, Marcelo 7, Cruz 5, Aguilar 2, Helterbrand 0, Caguioa 0.
ALASKA 97 – Abueva 29, Manuel 23, Casio 10, Racal 8, Pascual 6, Galliguez 6, Exciminiano 5, Thoss 4, Cruz 3, Dela Cruz 3, Hontiveros 0, Jazul 0, Magat 0, Mendoza 0.
Quarterscores: 21-25, 51-53, 82-71, 108-97