 |
| Marc Pingris and the MIxers sank the Gin Kings anew. |
The fan
favorite Ginebra Kings are languishing in the doldrums.
They just
lost their fifth straight game.
They’re
averaging about 21 turnovers per game against 19 assists. That means they turn
the ball over more than they actually find someone in good scoring position.
Their
scoring has dipped from 104.0ppg in their first two games to just 80.4ppg in
their last five matches.
Oh, and
Dylan Ababou just went down with an ACL tear. He’s out for the better part of
the next year.
His name is
added to a sick bay list that already has Kerby Raymundo, Allein Maliksi, and
Jayjay Helterband.
With all
these curveballs going the Kings’ way, who’d want to be Siot Tangquincen?
This isn’t
really meant to pick apart the reasons why the Kings are in a tailspin. They have
a deep, if depleted, roster. Mark Caguioa is still there. LA Tenorio’s healthy.
Rudy Hatfield, Willy Wilson, Mike Cortez, and Rico Maierhofer are all solid.
Keith Jensen and Chris Ellis are two athletic young ‘uns who should be match-up
nightmares for anyone.
But they’re
losing, and losing BAD. Three of their five losses have been double-digit
defeats. Their second win of the season (against Rain or Shine last October 7)
was a 4-point nail-biter.
Only the
Batang Pier are worse, and that’s not saying much. That might just be good
news, however, as Ginebra faces the rookie franchise next. The Kings have a
golden chance to redeem themselves in that game, but then they face a trifecta
of terrors in Talk N Text, Alaska, and Rain or Shine.
Yikes.
The fan
favorite Gin Kings are in the doldrums, and they might stay there a little
longer.
Game Recaps:
BARAKO BULL ENERGY COLAS over
GLOBAL PORT BATANG PIER, 95-94
Ronal Tubid
made up for his booboo in a previous play and converted the go-ahead to lead
Barako Bull to a pulsating 95-94 win over GlobaPort in the 2013 PBA Philippine
Cup Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
After
missing a point blank attempt, Tubid received a pass from a falling Sean
Anthony after a wild scramble for the loose ball. The wingman from Iloilo hit
an undergoal basket with 18.1 seconds left in the game to push Barako Bull.
“I told
Ronald before the scramble, instead of passing, step up to the plate. This is
his game. He’s our No. 1 guy in the shooting guard position,” said Barako Bull
coach Junel Baculi.
The Batang
Pier had a chance to steal the game, but Josh Vanlangdingham missed a
three-pointer as time expired. The Energy Colas snapped a three-game losing
streak to push their win-loss mark to 3-5.
“Medyo
struggling ang team. Hopefully this win can prop up us especially Josh
(Urbiztondo). We need Josh in our team,” said Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi.
“The problem
is we have to improve our offensive sets. We can’t rely much on Rico
(Villanueva) on the post because teams are scouting us. We need to inject some
variations in our offense.”
Tubid led
the Energy Colas with 19 points, but almost turned into a goat after his late
miss. Villanueva added 18 points while Mick Pennisi and Leo Najorda contributed
13 and 11, respectively, for Barako Bull.
GlobalPort’s
loss spoiled Mark Yee’s 20-point performance, one shy of matching the
career-high he set two years ago. Willie Miller had 17 points in 43 minutes,
but missed a crucial attempt before Tubid’s basket.
BAR 95 – Tubid 19, Villanueva 18,
Pennisi 13, Najorda 11, Anthony 9, Urbiztondo 9, Yap 9, Kramer 4, Alvarez 3,
Ballesteros 0
GLO 94 – Yee 20, Miller 17, Manuel 12,
Deutchman 11, Lingganay 10, Vanlandingham 7, Vergara 7, Al-Hussaini 5, Antonio
3, Adducul 2, Mandani 0, Guevarra 0
QS: 22-18, 49-48, 77-74, 95-94
 |
| Rico Villanueva (M) and Mark Yee (R) exchange some love taps in this heated exchange. |
 |
| Ronald Tubid soars for a twinner as the Energy Colas escape the Batang Pier. |
RAIN OR SHINE
ELASTO-PAINTERS over MERALCO BOLTS, 106-81
Rain or
Shine caught Meralco on a bad night and posted an emphatic 106-81 win in the
2013 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto
Painters’ defense took the energy out of the Bolts early, allowing them to
coast to the much-needed victory to join Alaska at second spot with a 5-2
win-loss mark.
“One way to
redeem ourselves coming off a loss (against Talk ‘N Text) was to play our best
game against the hottest team,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
“But I’m
really surprised we beat them in the manner we beat them today. We just got our
rhythm both on offense and defense and we’re able to run our breaks.”
The 25-point
margin was the team’s most since its 113-83 demolition of Air 21 last March 16
in the Commissioner’s Cup.
Jireh Ibanes
led all scorers with 23 points and was Guiao’s main defensive weapon on
Meralco’s deadly backcourt of Mac Cardona and Sol Mercado.
Beau Belga
added 16 points, Ryan Arana had 15, while JR Quinahan contributed 10 in a balanced
attack for the Elasto Painters, who led by much as 33 points, 94-61, midway in
the fourth.
Cardona
finished with 20 but Mercado struggled with nine points on 3-of-14 shooting
from the field.
“We were
ready to play match up against their top three guards, Sol, Mac and Ronjay
(Buenafe),” said Guiao. “We did not let them get their usual confidence and
rhythm in their past four wins and I think that’s the key.”
Buenafe, a
member of the Rain or Shine squad that won the Governors’ Cup last season, had
a quiet 11-point output in his first game against his former team.
Meralco
rookie Cliff Hodge had nine points, most of which were scored in garbage time,
and 14 rebounds, 10 off the offensive end, but was plagued with foul trouble
throughout the game. The Bolts’ record fell to 4-3.
ROS 106 – Ibanes 23, Belga 16, Arana
15, Quinahan 10, Tang 9, Cruz 8, Chan 7, Rodriguez 7, Norwood 6, Matias 5,
Uyloan 0, Jaime 0
MER 81 – Cardona 20, Salvacion 14,
Buenafe 11, Hodge 9, Mercado 9, Hugnatan 6, Bulawan 5, Borboran 4, Reyes 3,
Belencion 0, Ross 0, Sharma 0, Artadi 0
QS: 25-19, 41-28, 80-53, 106-81
 |
| Cliff Hodge (R) gets an elbow courtesy of JR Quinahan. |
 |
| Mac Cardona tries to split two defenders against the Elasto-Painters. |
SAN MIG COFFEE MIXERS over BGY.
GINEBRA KINGS, 78-68
San Mig
Coffee pulled off a masterful 78-68 win against undermanned Barangay Ginbera
San Miguel to share the second spot with two other teams in the finale of a
rare triple-header in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday before 19,718 fans at
the jam-packed SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Coffee
Mixers found the right mix early in the game, while the Gin Kings never found its
rhythm to absorb their fifth straight defeat after starting the tournament with
back-to-back wins.
The win
shoved San Mig Coffee into a triple tie for the No. 2 position in the standings
with Rain or Shine and the streaking Alaska with identical 5-2 win-loss
records.
Joe Devance
fired a game-high 18 points, including back-to-back three-pointers that helped
the Mixers pull away. They erected their biggest lead at 73-51 with 7:30
remaining in the game.
Ginebra
never had a serious run since.
James Yap added
14 points while Peter June Simon and Marc Pingris contributed 13 and 11,
respectively, for San Mig Coffee.
“We played a
great defensive game plan. There were times that Ginebra could shoot us on the
foot but they missed lay-ups. Their layups won’t fall and it happens when you
lose some games,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.
“We did play
good defensively, although [we got] a little sloppy in the fourth. But we’re
sharp defensively.”
Already
without Kerby Raymudo (flu), Ginebra lost another player in Dylan Ababou in the
first half due to a suspected torn ACL. Gin Kings coach Siot Tanquingcen did
not utilize Jayjay Helterbrand (hamstring) and Allein Maliksi (ankle injury)
who were also nursing injuries in the game.
It is
Ginebra’s longest losing streak since dropping five straight in the elimination
round of the 2009 Fiesta Conference.
Mark Caguioa
led the Gin Kings with 16 points while LA Tenorio and Chris Ellis added 12 and
11, respectively.
SMC 78 – Devance 18, Yap 14, Simon 13,
Pingris 11, De Ocampo 7, Barroca 6, Reavis 4, Villanueva 3, Intal 2, Gonzales 0
GIN 68 – Caguioa 16, Tenorio 12, Ellis
11, Jensen 8, Mamaril 7, Maierhofer 6, Cortez 6, Ababou 2, Espiritu 0, Wilson
0, Hatfield 0
QS: 15-8, 41-29, 61-45, 78-68
 |
| Billy Mamaril and the Gin Kings are languishing at the bottom of the standings. |
 |
| James Yap sizzled as the Mixers continue their rise. |
Source: Unless otherwise specified, game
recaps were compressed and compiled from InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Rey
Joble.)
Images: All images are from PBA.ph. (Photo
credit to Nuki Sabio)
0 Comment