Gin Kings rout Batang Pier in semis opener

Brgy. Ginebra certainly didn’t resemble the team that had been most impacted by the two-week hiatus in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

In a stunning display of resilience, Ginebra overwhelmed the league-leading NorthPort with an emphatic 115-93 victory in Game 1 of their best-of-seven semifinal series on Wednesday, February 26, at the Araneta Coliseum, even with key players and head coach Tim Cone absent due to their commitments with the national team.

Fresh off his participation with Gilas Pilipinas in the Doha International Cup and the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Justin Brownlee showed no signs of fatigue. He propelled the Gin Kings to a commanding wire-to-wire triumph, contributing 19 points on an efficient 8-of-15 shooting, along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Backing him up was Troy Rosario, another Gilas Pilipinas member, who added 16 points and 8 rebounds. RJ Abarrientos showcased his versatility with 15 points, 6 boards, and 7 assists, solidifying Ginebra’s offensive arsenal.

Jamie Malonzo and Japeth Aguilar, both of whom also donned the national colors in the Asia Cup qualifiers, chipped in with 14 and 11 points, respectively, highlighting the team’s depth.

Despite holding a narrow 56-51 lead at halftime, the Gin Kings erupted with a 12-3 run to start the third quarter, stretching their advantage to 68-54 just past the halfway mark of the frame.

Remarkably, Ginebra managed to maintain their double-digit lead throughout the second half, even extending it to a staggering 30 points at one stage, leading 111-81 in the closing moments of the game.

For NorthPort, import Kadeem Jack emerged as the lone bright spot, pouring in 33 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to offset the collective effort of Ginebra.

The Gin Kings stifled NorthPort’s star, Arvin Tolentino, limiting him to just 8 points on a dismal 2-of-11 shooting, while Joshua Munzon could only muster 10 points with an equally ineffective 3-of-11 from the field.

In a showcase of defensive prowess, Ginebra restricted the Batang Pier to a mere 7-of-25 from beyond the arc, while they themselves sizzled with an impressive 15-of-29 from three-point range.

The scores:

Brgy. Ginebra 115 – Brownlee 19, Rosario 16, Abarrientos 15, Malonzo 14, J. Aguilar 11, Cu 9, Holt 7, Mariano 7, Thompson 6, Ahanmisi 5, R. Aguilar 3, Pessumal 2, Pinto 1, Adamos 0.

NorthPort 93 – Jack 33, Munzon 10, Tolentino 8, Navarro 8, Nelle 7, Onwubere 7, Taha 6, Bulanadi 4, Cuntapay 3, Yu 3, Miranda 2, Flores 2.

Quarterscores: 31-22, 56-51, 88-65, 115-93.