Air21 averts another meltdown as they send Ginebra reeling
Air21 flirted with another meltdown but still managed to dodge one in the form of Barangay Ginebra.
Import Wesley Witherspoon came up with a big defensive stop on counterpart Leon Rodgers’ potentially-tying bucket at the buzzer as the Express hung on to a pulsating 97-95 victory over the struggling Gin Kings Wednesday night and put their PBA Commissioners Cup campaign on the right track anew at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
With the ghosts of their stinging 98-109 defeat to Meralco last Saturday appeared to be haunting them anew in the pivotal canto, Air21 showed ample poise in the face of Ginebra’s expected fightback and eventually got over the hump thanks to the final defensive stance by Witherspoon on Rodgers in the closing seconds.
After splitting his freebies that gave the Express a two-point cushion with 4.8 seconds left, the sweet-shooting Witherspoon proved he can also get the job done defensively, keeping in step with the attacking Rodgers before forcing him to take a tightly-contested jumper as the final horn sounded.
That crucial defensive gem enabled Air21 to avoid another late-game collapse after leading by as many as 13 points while protecting an 80-70 lead cushion into the fourth canto.
More importantly, the Express stopped a two-game bleeding and tied Meralco at fourth spot with an even 3-3 slate while adding to the woes of the Gin Kings, who dropped their second consecutive and fourth overall games after six starts.
Witherspoon went on to finish with a team-high 25 points and got the needed support from locals Joseph Yeo, Aldrech Ramos, Jonas Villanueva and ageless center Asi Taulava in the crunch to upend the Gin Kings’ comeback.
Although Rodgers, starting playmaker LA Tenorio and one-time league MVP Mark Caguioa were cooling their heels on the bench, the Gin Kings’ second unit showed signs of life in the payoff canto and got them back in the thick of things, highlighted by a JayJay Helterbrand corner triple that cut their deficit down to just 93-96 with 1:10 left.
The Gin Kings then mustered enough defensive stops, the last seeing Witherspoon stepping on the sideline following a combined pressure defense from Chris Ellis and Josh Urbiztondo.
In the ensuing play off a timeout, Helterbrand drove hard to the lane and issued a nifty to center Billy Mamaril that whittled the deficit down to one with 18.7 seconds left.
However, the breaks seemed to have fallen on the side of the Express. Although Joseph Yeo missed a pair of freebies, Japeth Aguilar failed to secure the leather and even tapped it out of bounds, time down to just 10.9 seconds.
That proved to be costly as Urbiztondo gave a pre-emptive foul to Witherspoon, who sank the back-end of his free throws and preserved it with a big stop on Rodgers in the thrilling finish.
The Main Man: Wes Witherspoon iced another fair offensive outing with a big defensive stop on Leon Rodgers that enabled the Express to hang on.
Honroable Mentions: Backstopping Witherspoon were Joseph Yeo, Mac Cardona, Aldrech Ramos and Asi Taulava.
Game Turning Point: Protecting a two-point lead with 4.8 seconds left, Wes Witherspoon made sure Air21 won’t suffer another meltdown as he stuck closely to Ginebra import Leon Rodgers and well-covered him to foil his last-gasp attempt as time expired.
He Said It:
Air21 coach Franz Pumaren: “It's nice beating a star-studded team like Ginebra. It's a collective effort on our part. This is a testament to us. We were able to bounce back. This is a learning experience for us.”
The scores:
AIR21 97 - Witherspoon 25, Yeo 18, Cardona 15, Borboran 10, Ramos 10, Taulava 9, Villanueva 6, Burtscher 2, Atkins 2, Camson 0.
GINEBRA 95 - Rodgers 18, Aguilar 15, Slaughter 12, Ellis 10, Helterbrand 10, Tenorio 9, Baracael 6, Reyes 6, Mamaril 4, Urbiztondo 3, Caguioa 2.
Quarters: 27-25, 57-48, 80-70, 97-95.
