Alaska turns tables on Ginebra in comeback victory

Alaska pulled out a victory from the jaws of defeat Sunday night, ironically enough, against a side that has made comebacks its trademark.
The Aces blew a 15-point third quarter lead and had to erase a seven-point deficit in the final 3:17 before hammering out a 102-99 decision of the Gin Kings that put Alaska in the upper half of the PBA Governors’ Cup eliminations at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Wendell McKines hit a short stab coming off a brilliant entry pass by Cyrus Baguio heading into the final 11 seconds for what turned out to be the final count, before the Aces watched the Gin Kings flub two triple tries that would have sent the game into overtime.
It was the second straight win for Alaska in a 2-1 card, putting the Aces right up there to be on track toward earning a distinct advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
This tournament is a very short one as the format only calls for a single round elimination before cutting the bottom two teams.
Ginebra lost for the second straight game and is now at 1-3 and would need to win games in a string to be able to have a fair chance in the first round. Only Air21 has a worse record than the Kings at 1-4.
“Ginebra really worked hard coming off a one-day break,” Alaska coach Luigi Trillo said. “We were well-rested and we found ourselves a rhythm in the end. We were lucky to get (a win on) this one.
“Everybody has been struggling,” Trillo added, referring to most of the teams in the field. “So you have to admire what Barako Bull and Petron are doing. They have both been very consistent.”
McKines finished with 27 points, 16 rebounds and five assists in one of his most overpowering efforts thus far. Baguio chipped in with 18.
Ginebra took a 96-89 lead going into the final 3:17 after Mac Baracael hit a one-handed jumper, which made it look like the Kings had put a lock on the game.
But things went sour for the Kings from there as their next score would come from the free throw line courtesy of LA Tenorio with just 34.7 seconds remaining, 99-100.
Ginebra committed just nine turnovers for the game, but two of them came after the Kings had taken that seven-point lead, and they were enough to seal their doom, ultimately.
After that McKines basket, Ginebra had Baracael taking a trey that was way off target. The Kings retained possession after Sonny Thoss slapped the ball out of the hands of import Dior Lowhorn.
Coming off a timeout for a last-gasp try, the Kings got the ball at the hands of Caguioa, who worked to get open for a triple attempt only for his shot to be bothered by Dondon Hontiveros.
Caguioa’s attempt was an airball, and the reigning MVP later on complained that his shooting hand was tagged by Hontiveros.
Meanwhile, powerhouse Talk ‘N Text continued to struggle, but the Tropang Texters were able to pound out a different result against Globalport.
The Texters got 35 points from import Tony Mitchell and 18 points from Larry Fonacier in a 102-95 decision of the Batang Pier earlier in the night.
Coach Norman Black sounded far from satisfied with regard to the way his squad is playing, but is thankful that they were able to squeeze out a win and rise to 2-2 overall, the same card that the Batang Pier now have.
“We’re just not a very good team right now and every game will be tough for us,” Black said, referring to the adjustment the entire team has to make with four national team mainstays returning to the fold.
Jason Castro, Fonacier and Ranidel De Ocampo saw action for the second straight game with Jimmy Alapag, the fourth member and former MVP, set to rejoin the team this Friday.
“We’re just trying to hang in there, get enough wins,” added Black. “It’s going to take some time before we get adjusted.”