Ginebra mounts mighty comeback to edge Star in overtime

MANILA: In the most amazing way on the most amazing night of the year, Barangay Ginebra did what it had to do against Star.
The Gin Kings climbed out of an 18-point hole late in the third period and from eight down in the final minute to pull out a 92-89 victory over the Hotshots, the marginal triple coming off LA Tenorio’s hands at the buzzer before a record 21,808 screaming souls at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The game was nothing short of a classic coming in the Yuletide season and it established a league record as far as overtimes go as all the shots made in the extra five minutes came from beyond the three-point arc.
“I’ve seen a lot in my 25, 26 years here in the league,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone told reporters, himself shocked at how things turned out for his never-say-die crew. “This one tops them all.”
The win, more than anything, allowed the Gin Kings to march on and clash with GlobalPort for a spot in the Final Four on Sunday. The winner of this game will advance to face tournament top seed Alaska in a best-of-seven semifinal series.
“I’m happy for the fans, they stayed with us,” Cone added, unaware that there were several hundreds who took to the exits after the Hotshots still led, 76-51, entering the final four minutes.
“In the last three minutes, we hit our shots from everywhere,” the two-time Grand Slam champion said. “It was simply an amazing overtime period for both teams, it was an amazing game for the fans to see.”
Sol Mercado paced the Gin Kings with 17 points, 11 of them coming in the fourth period and six of them – off two triples – happening in overtime.
Mercado just missed winning it for the Kings in regulation when he muffed a breakaway layup at the buzzer for 80-all.
Peter June Simon led the Hotshots with 17 but was scoreless — and was actually in and out of — the fourth quarter and overtime.
Ginebra hit three straight triples, two from Mercado and one from Japeth Aguilar, when the Kings made their way back from a 68-76 deficit heading into the final 60 seconds of regulation.
GlobalPort also got the job done in just one game earlier in the night, getting the second half lift it needed from Terrence Romeo in posting a 94-85 victory over Barako Bull.
With the Batang Pier playing with such low energy in the first half, Romeo came out with guns firing in the final two periods, tossing in 28 of his night-high 33 as GlobalPort won a playoff series for the first time in franchise history.
Romeo dropped 14 each in the final two frames, owning half of the Batang Pier’s third quarter output as GlobalPort turned a 48-41 halftime deficit into a 69-64 lead entering the payoff frame.
“They really stepped up in the second half, especially Terrence (Romeo),” Pido Jarencio, the GlobalPort coach told reporters. “They (Batang Pier) are really focused on making the semifinals, and I think this team is ready (for anyone).”
Stanley Pringle practically stepped aside in the second half and allowed Romeo to do his thing offensively, finishing with just 15 points but with 13 rebounds and four assists in another sterling all-around effort.
Willie Wilson paced the Energy with 15 points Emman Monfort and Josh Urbiztondo accounted for 12 each and JC Intal 11.
RR Garcia, who has enjoyed a surge in his young pro career before dislocating his right shoulder, sat out a fourth straight game for the Energy, who will now go on a long break together with ousted Meralco and Mahindra.
In sad PBA news, Ron Jacobs, the American who piloted Northern Cement and San Miguel Beer, on Thursday passed away at his home. He would have turned 73 in two days.
Jacobs, who coached the Philippine Team to the Asian Basketball Confederation Youth title in 1982 and a men's team led by Jeff Moore, Chip Engelland and Samboy Lim to the Jones Cup in 1985, suffered a massive stroke in 2002 and had been in a coma since then.