Aguilar stars as Ginebra downs Air21 78-69

Leave it to Japeth Aguilar to provide the aerial acrobatics that has so far spiced up Barangay Ginebra’s PBA Philippine Cup campaign.
The Gin Kings won over Air21 as expected on Wednesday night, and the 6-foot-9 Aguilar made it even more special after an utter display of hang-time creativity in a 78-69 decision of the Express at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Aguilar finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and a career-best eight blocks, but not after coming up with the dunk of the conference that highlighted the Gin Kings’ third straight win in a 6-1 record that kept leader Petron Blaze within striking distance.
The athletic former Western Kentucky University reserve in the US NCAA has taken his game above-the-rim for the Kings, scoring on a well-applauded double-handed reverse in a breakaway that gave Ginebra a 52-34 lead late in the third period.
That dunk can easily stand out in the young season – and one that only he, it seems, can eclipse.
The top three players for coach Ato Agustin in the game – Aguilar, rookie Greg Slaughter and Chris Ellis – all finished with double-double efforts, with Aguilar and the 7-foot Slaughter swatting away a total of 11 enemy attempts.
Only the Boosters have a better record than the Kings at 7-0, and both slug it out on Christmas Day in what promises to be the game of the conference.
“We’re in second place and we need to keep on winning to maintain our position and earn a twice-to-beat advantage (in the quarterfinals),” said Agustin in Filipino during the customary winning coach’s interview.
“At this stage, every win is important because all of the teams in the upper half of the standings want to finish in the top two.”
After taking that 18-point lead, Ginebra then had to weather several rallies by the Express presided upon by the veteran Joseph Yeo.
And Aguilar was there the whole time to help the Kings stay on top, with another dunk – a two-handed follow-up of a Mac Baracael miss where his head almost hit the rim – ushering the crowd-darlings to a 64-53 lead heading into the final nine minutes.
Yeo, the former La Salle star in the UAAP who has bounced around from team to team despite his enormous potential, hit 21 of his team-high 28 points in the final two periods to almost singlehandedly keep the Express in the thick of the fight.
Nino Canaleta also hit two straight triples in the fourth that moved the Express within five, only for Slaughter to hit two baskets inside that sandwiched a Baracael jumper that helped Ginebra maintain control.
Slaughter finished with 19 points and 10 boards, and Chris Ellis had 10 points that went with 11 rebounds as the trio more than made up for the sub-par performances of superstar guards LA Tenorio and Mark Caguioa.
Tenorio and Caguioa are both recovering from a viral infection that downed several members of the team last week. They combined for just 12 points against the Express, though Agustin said that both are recovering fine and would be better in the coming games.
Canaleta was the only other player in twin digits for the Express with 14 as Air21 lost a third straight game for a 1-7 card.
Mac Cardona struggled, shooting just four points in 27 minutes. The Express also missed the services of hardworking power forward Vic Manuel, the sophomore who is averaging 10 points and five rebounds.
He sat out the game because of a dislocated left shoulder suffered in a narrow loss to the Boosters last weekend.
Asi Taulava, the 40-year-old, held the fort for the Express inside against Ginebra’s twin towers, finishing with 13 rebounds and eight points with rookie Eric Camson also firing eight markers and plucking down 10 boards.
Meanwhile, Alaska checked a two-game slide later in the night with a 91-82 decision of the hard-fighting Meralco Bolts.
Veteran Dondon Hontiveros, a vital cog in the Aces’ championship run in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup, scattered 24 points – his biggest output of the season – with the usual heavy contributors Cyrus Baguio and Sonny Thoss chipping in their share.
It was just the third win in eight games for Alaska, one of two high-regarded sides together with San Mig Coffee that is struggling bigtime in the conference. The Aces are now tied with the Bolts but are both still out of the upper half of the standings.
“This is a nice way to prepare against Ginebra,” Alaska coach Luigi Trillo told reporters later, referring to their much-anticipated match with the Kings on Saturday. “They (Aces) were at peace with themselves tonight, unlike in our last three games.”
Baguio finished with 23 points and Thoss 20, while Gabby Espinas plucked down a career-high 24 rebounds.
Mike Cortez paced the Bolts with 22 points.