Japeth Aguilar made history on Sunday night in Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s 92-84 win over Meralco in Game Three of the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, which gave them a 2-1 lead in the series.
The athletic 6-foot-9 forward racked up seven blocks in a performance that also saw him collect 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and four rebounds in nearly 30 minutes of play.
His blocks, as per league stats head Fidel Mangonon, not only broke a tie with number 12 Alvin Patrimonio (576); they also sent him to 12th all-time past Abe King (580) and Poch Juinio (582).
“Since nag-start ako, ‘yung mga naging niche ko… I mean shot blocker ako since high school, college. Alam ko ‘yun ‘yung isang strength ko, so I try to do it in the best of my abilities,” Aguilar said.
“Yung role ko lang ‘yung ginagampanan ko sa team. ‘Pag may dumrive, kailangan humelp ako.”
But for the 32-year-old, his teammates were also a big help on his historic night.
“It’s a collective team effort. Kaya ko nagagawa ‘yung mga help defense kanina kasi confident ako na tutulungan din ako ng teammates ko,” said the 10-year league veteran.
Aguilar was a key figure for Ginebra in the third quarter, where the Gin Kings exploded. They were able to stretch their lead to 23 points, 78-55, with 23 seconds remaining.
But ever-selfless, Aguilar gave credit to his teammates as well for their contributions in that rub.
“For me lahat talaga nag-step up nung third quarter. Teamwork namin tapos ‘yun, tulungan lang talaga kami.”
