Never-say-die Kings survive, trim lead

MANILA, Philippines - Barangay Ginebra refused to surrender, reliving its never-say-die spirit as it thwarted B-Meg, 88-79, to force a fourth game in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five semifinal showdown at the Cuneta Astrodome last night.

Mike Cortez and KG Canaleta proved to be the Kings’ biggest saviors as they ducked the Llamados’ knockout blow, thus, staying in the fight for the finals.

The Kings try to stretch the series to full distance as they go for a follow-up win in Game Four at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Barako Energy take their first attempt to finish off the Talk n Text Tropang Texters in Game Four of their own semis duel at 6 p.m. tonight also at the Big Dome.

“We’ll try to slay a giant. We must do that or we’ll be in trouble in Game Five,” said Barako coach Junel Baculi.

Cortez came through with a rare triple-double performance with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while Canaleta got away with 4-of-8 three-point shooting and a total of 23 points as the Kings lived to fight another day.

“I can’t ask anything more from the guys. They know our situation that we have to cover for the 18 points we usually get from Mark Caguioa. Everybody’s pitching in and that has to be the way,” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen.

Dylan Ababou and Jayjay Helterbrand also produced double-digit outputs as Ginebra finally pulled one in the series with injured main man Caguioa helpless on the bench.

 “For sure, we played better tonight than the first two games. The sense of urgency was there. It’s no longer about the X’s and O’s of the game. It boiled down to heart,” said Tanquingcen.

 Ginebra triumphed even as Jackson Vroman was limited to eight points and 10 rebounds. 

 B-Meg import Denzel Bowles, however, also groped for form and the early ejection of Marc Pingris didn’t help the Llamados’ cause either.

Pingris was thrown out of the game in the second quarter on two technical infractions he committed 36 seconds apart.

The 6-foot-4 B-Meg forward and Kerby Raymundo were earlier called a double T. Pingris later got the boot on a flagrant foul on a driving Canaleta.

Hardly shaken, Canaleta led all scorers in the contest with 7-of-15 field shooting and 5-of-6 free throws. 

The high-leaping Ginebra forward waxed hottest in the fourth quarter, knocking four treys in a decisive romp that gave the Kings an 83-74 lead entering the last two minutes of the game.

B-Meg hit its strides playing all-Filipino in the closing minutes of the second quarter, erasing a 10-point deficit, 29-19, and drawing even at 37 at the half.

The scores:

Ginebra 88 – Canaleta 23, Cortez 17, Ababou 13, Helterbrand 12, Hatfield 9, Vroman 8, Labagala 3, Raymundo 3, J. Wilson 0, Mamaril 0.

B-Meg 79 – Intal 18, Simon 15, Yap 14, Bowles 11, Urbiztondo 8, Devance 7, Reavis 6, Barroca 0, Burtscher 0, Villanueva 0, De Ocampo 0.

Quarterscores: 17-12, 37-37, 61-57, 88-79