Justin Brownlee and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will live to fight another day.
And that’s all because of the never-say-die mantra they lived up to.
On the verge of being dethroned from the PBA Governors’ Cup throne they’ve been sitting onfor two years, the Gin Kings turned things around by downing the Magnolia Hotshots in Game Three, 107-103, Wednesday night.
Brownlee strapped the whole Barangay on his back, producing a career-high-tying 46 points on 56 percent shooting from the field. The 2018 Commissioner’s Cup Best Import also had 19 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals.
“Man. I don’t know man,” exhaled the 30-year-old American.
“We just came out with that Never-Say-Die attitude.”
The Gin Kings are known as a team that works best with their backs against the wall. Before going out with the four-point win, they had to climb a wall as high as 18, which the Hotshots built in the final moments of the first half.
And when Magnolia threatened to wipe out their 11-point lead to take a 103-101 edge with 53.1 seconds left, the all-around Scottie Thompson and LA Tenorio conspired to bail out the crowd darlings.
“Coach Tim [Cone], when we came to the locker room gave us, he hit the reset button. He let us clear our mind. He turned off the lights a little bit to clear our mind. We just came out fresh, with the fresh minds,” said Brownlee.
“We tried to do, no matter run what they made, pressure or whatever they threw at us. We just find out if we stick together and stay positive. I think, we’ll be all right,” he added.
“We’ll overcome any adversity we have.”
But aside from having a great strategist in Cone, Brownlee also tipped his hat to the Barangay faithful, who filled up the Big Dome on a Wednesday night.
“The fans, they, got into the game. They gave us a boost of energy, and just got it going,” said the St. John’s University product. “We just wanted to keep it going. I’m just fortunate that we got the win.
“That’s the most important thing.”
