Caguioa shines anew for Ginebra as Kings down TNT

Right after final buzzer sounded, Barangay Ginebra coach Alfrancis Chua loosened up his pony-tailed hair then huddled the Gin Kings, finding precious time to savor a morale-boosting victory.

For their legions of ‘kabarangays,’ it was a refreshing sight, indeed.

Displaying a renewed gusto all throughout, Barangay Ginebra turned back archrival Talk ‘N Text 107-100 in a highly-entertaining match Sunday for its first back-to-back wins in the PBA Commissioners Cup at the raucous Smart Araneta Coliseum.

ALSO READ: Was this the worst PBA brawl?

Reigning league MVP Mark Caguioa tallied all but two of his game-high 28 points in the first three quarters then import Vernon Macklin, ace playmaker LA Tenorio and high-flying rookie Chris Ellis took turns in providing the finishing blows for the Gin Kings, who improved to 3-5, tying idle Barako Bull and Air21 in the process.

Clutch guard Jimmy Alapag stood tallest among the Texters in the second half, firing away all but three of his 23 points, including 13 in the final canto, but TNT still came up short and suffered its fourth loss in eight games.

The 6-foot-10 Macklin, fresh from a 20-point, 16-rebound domination in their 96-88 win over defending champion San Mig Coffee last Sunday,  tallied 20 points, highlighted by a completed three-point play off a Ranidel De Ocampo that stretched Ginebra’s lead to 105-98 with 35.4 ticks to go.

Tenorio, playing bigger than his 5-foot-8 frame, added 20 points, eight in the opening canto, while the 6-foot-4 Ellis provided the needed lift, scattering all of his his seven markers in the fourth plus 12 big rebounds.

“Dalawang malaking isda na ‘yon,” stated Chua. “I give it to the boys. ‘Di sila sumuko and they really played well. Sa dugout I told them just to play defense, I didn’t ask them to win.”

ALSO READ: Dunigan brushes aside physicality, leads Express past Aces

And that unconventional ploy somehow eased the pressure on the Gin Kings, according to Caguioa.

“I think, that (fun) starts in practice. Si Coach Al kasi, binibigyan talaga kami ng rest. Hindi niya kami ga’anong binubugbog dahil alam niyang napapagod rin kami kakalaro.”

Before another capacity crowd of 16, 082 paying patrons, both teams lived up to the hype and treated them in a fast-paced action until Ginebra took the lead for good in the payoff canto.

Holding a slim 78-77 cushion, the Gin Kings stretched that to eight midway through the fourth before the Texters countered back with five unanswered points to come to within 89-92.

Ginebra, however, stayed composed and reeled off six straight markers for a 98-89 lead capped by a Rudy Hatfield lay-up off a Macklin feed with 3:42 left.

Alapag refused to give up and fired away two triples as TNT closed in on within four, the last at 98-102, time down to just 1:27.

In the ensuing play, Tenorio misfired an ill-advised shot that practically gave Texters another chance. Jayson Castro, however, didn’t’ recognize a wide-open Alapag in transition and opted to pass the leather to Larry Fonacier, who missed a trey from the left flank.

Then the Gin Kings made the Texters pay a stiff price. Off a timeout, Caguioa attracted two TNT defenders, passed the leather to Hatfield, who drove strong to the hoop and flicked a pass to Macklin, resulting into a three-point play that virtually settled the outcome with 35.4 ticks left.

“TNT is a very strong team but they got confused about what we’re doing with our defense. We applied three kinds of defense,” noted Chua then added: “We have to keep on winning. At least wala na kami sa cellar. Dikit-dikit naman kami. Pinu-prove lang ng players ng Ginebra na kaya pa namin manalo.”

SLIDESHOW: Coaches show their emotions

Earlier, Alaska immediately got back on track with a 93-85 win over struggling GlobalPort.

Reeling from a 68-74 stunner dealt by Air21 last Friday, the Aces quickly picked up the pieces and flashed their form, getting on a swashbuckling start to gain the solo lead anew with a 7-2 mark, half-a-game ahead of idle Petron Blaze.

GlobalPort, whose import Walter Sharpe fouling out with just two points, dropped further down the cellar with its sixth straight loss and seventh overall against two wins.

Import Robert Dozier tallied game-highs of 26 points and 18 rebounds while prized rookie Calvin Abueva 15 markers and Cyrus Baguio had 10 for Alaska, which built an early 20-10 lead then sustained its charge the rest of the way.

Rookie Raffy Reyes, starting in place of injured ace playmaker JVee Casio, finished with eight points, three rebounds and two assists but made his presence felt more than the stats.

"It’s nice to see Raffy Reyes step up. He really settled our team down," noted Alaska coach Luigi Trillo of the former University of the East guard they selected in the second round of the last year’s draft. “I am proud of the way Raffy came out and played like a pro.”

Former two-time MVP Willie Miller, who finished with 22 points off the bench, emerged as the brightest spot for the Batang Pier, completing an awe-inspiring spin-move off Sonny Thoss and Dondon Hontiveros that pulled them to within 72-76 with more than eight minutes left.

The Aces, however, uncorked a jarring 15-4 onslaught capped by a Dozier bucket, putting the result beyond doubt with 2:02 remaining.
 

First Game
 
ALASKA (93) – Dozier 26, Abueva 15, Baguio 10, Reyes 8, Espinas 8, Jazul 7, Thoss 6, Hontiveros 5, Ramos 4, Dela Cruz 4.

GLOBALPORT (85) – Miller 22, David 20, Mercado 13, Aguilar 8, Yee 7, Aljamal 4, Antonio 4, Mandani 3, Sharpe 2, Adducul 2, Juntilla 0, Salvador 0.
Quarterscores: 22-13, 48-36, 71-61, 93-85
 
Second Game
 
GINEBRA (107) – Caguioa 28, Macklin 24, Tenorio 20, Ellis 7, Raymundo 7, Labagala 6, Mamaril 6, Hatfield 6, Baracael 3, Jensen 0.

TALK 'N TEXT (100) – Harvey 23, Alapag 23, Castro 16, Fonacier 16, De Ocampo 11, Williams 4, Dillinger 3, Al-Hussaini 2, Carey 2, Raymundo 0, Aban 0.
Quarterscores: 26-24, 51-50, 78-77, 107-100