Ginebra flexed their muscles, out-hustling the Blackwater Elite, 99-90, to create a logjam in the middle of the standings, Friday evening at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
With Ginebra’s win and Blackwater’s loss, the Gin Kings now overtake the Elite in the standings. However, there is still a logjam between Ginebra, Phoenix, Rain or Shine, and TNT.
But the win did not come easy for Ginebra.
“Well, that team has talent. I thought there were opportunities for us to extend the lead but they kept coming back,” Ginebra head coach Tim Cone remarked about the Elite. “They are a legitimate[ly] strong team.”
Ginebra were up by as many as 13 points in the game, 51-38 during the second quarter, but the Elite kept fighting back.
Behind reigning Player of the Week Roi Sumang, Blackwater were able to knot things up at 82-all with 8:44 remaining in the game. Sumang scored four points during a 11-2 rally that was capped by a Kyle Pascual putback off a Sumang miss.
But Scottie Thompson wanted to prove that he was more than just rebounding.
“Scottie was awesome. When Blackwater tied it, he had a couple of drives. He always seems to be at the right place at the right time,” Cone remarked about Thompson, who finished the game with 13 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and two assists.
The second-year Gin King willed his way to the paint, scoring on a couple of drives and a free throw as Ginebra went on a 12-2 counter run that vanquished any momentum Blackwater had gained. Sparkplug Ronjay Buenafe and bruiser Bam Gamalinda also fouled out during that frame to compound the Elite’s woes.
“I just felt tonight that we have a little more depth than them,” Cone said. “When Japeth [Aguilar] was out, Jervy [Cruz] and Dave [Marcelo] stepped up for us and played a great role for us.”
Cruz scored 16 points, while Marcelo added 13 markers on a 60 percent shooting clip.
Aguilar led Ginebra’s first half surge, scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting and five boards. However, after converting a breakaway dunk with 3:50 left, the dunk artist landed awkwardly and did not return to the game.
“We tried Japeth out at halftime if he can get some shots but the doctor’s said that he hyper-extended his right elbow,” Cone shared. “He couldn’t even grip the ball because he was in so much pain.”
Ginebra sho 42 percent from the field compared to 40 percent for Blackwater. However, the game was decided on the stripe as Ginebra attempted 36 attempts from the free throw line. Blackwater only had 18 from the same distance.
Sumang paced the Elite with 20 markers on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. Rookie Mac Belo added 16 points on just 5-of-14 shooting to go along with nine boards.
Art dela Cruz struggled in the game, shooting just 3-of-14 from the field for seven points. He did grab 12 rebounds in the loss.
Ginebra look to make it three in a row when they face the Phoenix Fuel Masters (5-5) on Sunday, January 22, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City. Blackwater, on the other hand, will try to break the deadlock they are in against the Star Hotshots on Wednesday, January 25, at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
The Scores:
Ginebra (99) – Cruz 16, Tenorio 15, Aguilar 14, Thompson 13, Devance 13, Marcelo 13, Ellis 6, Mercado 5, Caguioa 2, Ferrer 2, Taha 0.
Blackwater (90) – Sumang 20, Belo 16, Aguilar 16, Sena 14, Dela Cruz 7, Gamalinda 6, Miiranda 5, Buenafe 4, Pascual 2, Ababou 0, Pinto 0.
Quarterscores: 25-23, 53-40, 80-71, 99-90.
