GINEBRA TOPPLES TNT AS ELIMS END

GINEBRA TOPPLES TNT AS ELIMS END
Published on December 11, 2011

Gaining the needed help from Barangay Ginebra, B-Meg emerged the top notcher at the close of the PBA Philippine Cup elimination phase at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday.

The Ginebra Kings downed the Talk n Text Tropang Texters, 96-82, and made the B-Meg Llamados the top seed in the playoffs beginning Wednesday also at the Big Dome.

B-Meg and Talk n Text actually finished with identical 10-4 win-loss slates but the former clinched elims top honors with a superior quotient.

With Rain or Shine topping Alaska Aces 91-85, earlier in the day, the Elasto Painters, the Kings and the Petron Blaze Boosters wound up tied at 9-5.

Petron emerged the playoffs third seed, Ginebra fourth, and Rain or Shine fifth after the application of the quotient tiebreak system.

Top seed B-Meg and second-ranked Talk n Text enjoy twice-to-beat advantage in their respective quarters match-ups with Powerade and Barako Bull.

Petron and Ginebra, meanwhile, tangle with Meralco and Rain or Shine, respectively, in separate best-of-three showdowns.

Ginebra outfought Talk n Text in the payoff period as the Kings sustained their hot romp, clinching a fifth straight win to close their elims stint.

Mark Caguioa, Mike Cortez, JC Intal, Enrico Villanueva and Willy Wilson did the job, fueling the Kings’ blazing finish.

All these five players piled up at least 14 points each. They combined for all but two of Ginebra’s 32-point output in the final canto.

The Kings were down by two at 67-69 before Intal, Wilson, Cortez, Caguioa and Villanueva teamed up in an furious attack that opened a 90-77 bulge for Ginebra entering the last three minutes of the game.

The Kings kept going as did the Elasto Painters going into the playoffs.

“Rain or Shine will be tough. They beat us in the opening game by one. They’re a pretty good team and we’ve got to be ready,” said Ginebra coach SiotTanquingcen.

“The next step is to win the quarters and we’re hopeful we can do that,” said assistant coach Caloy Garcia who called the shots for the Elasto Painters in the absence of coach YengGuiao.

“I think we can match up better with Ginebra. They have big men who are not really dominant except Eric Menk,” said Garcia on their quarters match-up with the Kings.

“Petron would have been tougher. They’re coming off a championship. They have a high morale,” Garcia added.

Rain or Shine lost its two recent playoffs encounters with Ginebra but Garcia insisted they’re a better team now. (SB)

The scores:

GINEBRA 96 - Caguioa 18, Cortez 17, Intal 15, Villanueva 15, Wilson W. 14, Mamaril 8, Labagala 4, Canaleta 3, Tubid 2, Maliksi 0, Cervantes 0, Wilson J. 0.

TALK N' TEXT 82 - Castro 14, Dillinger 12, Williams 12, Carey 12, Fonacier 10, Aguilar 7, Reyes 5, Raymundo 4, Gamalinda 4, Alvarez 2, Weinstein 0, De Ocampo 0.

Quarters: 23-20, 41-45, 64-65, 96-82

Source: PBA.ph