There’s no stopping Alex Cabagnot come the game’s final stretch
In San Miguel Beermen’s Game 3 win over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, the usual names such as Chris Ross and June Mar Fajardo went highlighted, with the former pacing the Beermen with 24 points while the latter posted a double-double of 17 points and 18 boards.
Both players were crucial in the Beermen’s 17-2 run late in the game en route to the nine-point victory. But it was also the 6-foot guard that contributed greatly. He may have just chipped in five points in that stretch, but those shots were pivotal ones.
With SMB behind, 86-84, with 4:28 to go, Cabagnot sank a triple to lift his side up by a point, 87-86. Three minutes later, he unloaded from the perimeter to widen the Beermen’s precarious four-point lead to seven, 95-88, with 1:07 to go. The Barangay did not gain any momentum from that point on.
And as the final buzzer sounded, Cabagnot played second fiddle on Ross’ 24-point output, having scored 20 points by shooting 7-of-14 from the floor — 3-of-8 coming from beyond the arc — to go along with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the 38:28 minutes he saw action.
Furthermore, his notable Game 3 outburst also serves as his best game so far in the best-of-seven title bout, after averaging 14.5 points in Games 1 and 2.
“It’s just like that sometimes. God is good. It’s Lenten season, Ash Wednesday, so I’m glad,” said a beaming Cabagnot regarding his performance moments after Game 3.
But aside from his individual showing, what made Cabagnot more upbeat was the fact that they were able to withstand a fiery Ginebra side — who had even led by as much as 12, 41-29, in the second period, but fired blanks in the game’s final four minutes.
“I’m glad we made stops,” said the 34-year-old. “It’s very important, very imperative to us to continue making stops.
“That’s how we know we’re playing to our potential win — buckling down and making stops at the end-game.”
As mentioned, the 11-year veteran logged in for almost forty minutes on the floor — a scenario that has been noticeable for SMB right from the early goings of the All-Filipino Cup. When asked regarding that, Cabagnot just shrugged it off.
“Coach is just doing his best, and out there we’re just gonna do our best,” the four-time PBA champion remarked.
Now that Game 4 looms, and with the Beermen possessing 2-1 lead, Cabagnot vowed that he and SMB will stick to their own brand of basketball as they try to take a 3-1 advantage.
“Trying to solve Tim Cone and staying ahead of him is like solving a Rubik’s Cube. So we’ll just try to play our hardest, try to make stops, and continuously play our game,” said Cabagnot.
