Scottie Thompson nailed the game-winning trey to help Ginebra frustrate Magnolia, 95-92, and emerge triumphant in another Christmas Clasico affair before a solid crowd at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night.
The 2022 MVP caught RJ Abarrientos’ kick-out and pulled the trigger from the left corner just before the final buzzer sounded, and the Kings would soon erupt in jubilation as they completed the comeback from 22 points down.
“The play was designed for RJ to make the decision,” said Coach Tim Cone as the final play involved solid passing from the rookie and Justin Brownlee, which created gaps on defense that gave Thompson enough space.
Thompson drilling the game-winner, a tad similar from what he flung to beat Meralco in Game 5 of the 2020 Philippine Cup semifinals, saved as well the efforts of Abarrientos and Brownlee in pulling the Barangay back in the game.
The 25-year-old himself was big in the second half that saw him go on a hot streak especially in the fourth quarter, before JB pulled off haymakers of his own by nailing crucial threes that put the crowd darlings ahead.
The fightback enabled the Kings to bounce back from their loss to Converge last Saturday and improve to 4-2 in the Season 40 Commissioner’s Cup.
“I’ll tell you: at halftime I was so disappointed because, you know, we had a nice crowd. They came to watch the game and we played so poorly in the first half,” said Cone as Ginebra improved to 6-1 in the Christmas Clasico.
“And, you know, I just think the guys kind of gathered themselves and got a little bit more determined there in the second half,” he added.
Brownlee top-scored for the Barangay with 28 points on a 5-of-6 clip from three, alongside seven rebounds and five assists plus a steal and a block.
Abarrientos finished with 20 points, 17 of which he produced in the second half, on five triples, five assists, three steals, and a block in 24 minutes.
Troy Rosario supplied 15 points and eight rebounds with two blocks, while Thompson added 14 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
“Just the aura of Ginebra of never say die, you know. You know, we don’t represent it as much as the old Jaworski days but we still feel it and we still talk about it and it’s still part of our culture,” said Cone proudly.
“So, tonight we lived up to Sonny Jaworski and his crew,” the league’s winningest bench tactician added. “I’m real proud about that.”
Ricardo Ratliffe, meanwhile, tallied 17 points and 16 rebounds to lead Magnolia in yet another frustrating collapse that dropped their record to 2-5.
Mark Barroca made 13 points and seven rebounds against six turnovers, while Paul Lee and Ian Sangalang chipped in 11 for the Hotshots, who after scoring more than 50 in the first half got held to only 37 in the final two quarters.
Still, they had a chance despite the painful treys by Brownlee, Abarrientos, and Maverick Ahanmisi in the final salvo when Rome Dela Rosa knotted the game up at 92-all with a conversion inside with 22 seconds left to play.
But Ginebra can’t be denied, with Abarrientos making the great read that led to Thompson’s winner much to the delight of the 12,198 fans at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
Ginebra 95 – Brownlee 28, Abarrientos 20, Rosario 15, Thompson 14, J.Aguilar 8, Holt 5, Ahanmisi 5, Tenorio 0, Cu 0, Mariano 0.
Magnolia 92 – Ratliffe 17, Barroca 13, Lee 11, Sangalang 11, Lucero 8, Balanza 8, Dela Rosa 7, Dionisio 6, Lastimosa 6, Abueva 5, J.Ahanmisi 0.
Quarterscores: 24-30, 41-55, 67-78, 95-92.
