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| Photo Courtesy of the PBA. |
By Patrick Sutare
Barangay
Ginebra counted on its top guns as it finished off Alaska, 109-104, on Friday
night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in their Quarterfinal match of the PBA
Governor’s Cup to make an official return to the elusive Final Four stint of
the league.
Ginebra
star point guard LA Tenorio went out with guns blazing as he spearheaded the
Gin Kings’ attack, tallying a career playoff high of 32 points(21 in the first
half), along with six dimes and four boards.
The
crowd favorites led by as much as 26 points, and even carried a monumental 20
point advantage going to the final canto.
The
Aces then launched their recurrent comeback prowess, going off to a ferocious
16-4 run led by Calvin Abueva and Dondon Hontiveros to cut the deficit to
single digit with barely five minutes left of ball.
Ginebra
weathered the storm. Justin Brownlee took the driver’s seat and gave his squad
a 10-point advantage reaching the last two minutes of the game.
But
Alaska just would not back down. LaDontae Henton capped a crucial salvo with a
three point basket to put the Aces to within a point, 104-105, 31 ticks left.
With
so much at stake, Brownlee continued to take matters in his own hands. The
prized Ginebra import pulled up with all his guts and banked in a three-point
shot to bring the Kings to a two possession lead, much to the delight of their
legion of fans.
Alaska
had their chance for a final push of snatching the win but Abueva missed all
three free throws off an Aguilar foul.
Brownlee
then split his charities to seal the deal for Ginebra. He finished with 29
points.
Henton
and Abueva dropped 27 and 17, respectively for Alaska, which now failed to
advance deep in the Playoffs after multiple Finals stints in the previous
conferences.
Ginebra
will face sister-team San Miguel in the Semis which starts on Monday.
The scores:
Ginebra 109 –
Tenorio 32, Brownlee 29, Mercado 14, Aguilar 12, Marcelo 7, Devance 6, Caguioa
4, Thompson 3, Cruz 2, Mariano 0, Helterbrand 0
Alaska 104 – Henton
27, Abueva 17, Jazul 13, Hontiveros 12, Manuel 10, Casio 9, Thoss 9, Banchero
5, Racal 2, Baclao 0, Dela Rosa 0, Exciminiano 0
Quarterscores:
23-23, 53-41, 86-66, 109-104
Follow him on Twitter: @patricksutare
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