Rhum better than Gin

Tanduay became a much smaller team on the unexpected ouster of Chris Cantonjos due to sore eyes but the Rhum Masters continued to show a big heart to keep their amazing streak in the PBA Governors Cup with a 103-96 upset of the Barangay Ginebra Kings at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

With nary a big man left in their lineup sans Cantonjos, the Rhum Masters defied greater odds as they notched a third straight win following two successive losses.

Cantonjos, originally the team’s No. 3 frontcourt player after Sonny Alvarado and Eric Menk, actually started for the team in the game but left for the dugout barely two minutes gone in the clock on orders of league physician Ben Salud upon seeing the player’s condition.

"Puso na lang ang nagpatakbo sa team lalo sa game na ito na kasama sa gameplan si Chris (Cantonjos). Mabuti nakapag-adjust kami kahit sa game na namin nalaman na hindi pala pwedeng palaruin si Chris," said Tanduay coach Alfrancis Chua.

"Of course, it also helped that we scouted very well (Ginebra import) Brian Green. I even went to Antipolo Wednesday to personally scout him," he added.

True enough, the Rhum Masters neutralized a bit the sweet-shooting Green on the single defensive coverage of Rudy Hatfield. Then there were Dondon Hontiveros, Maurice Bell, Jeffrey Cariaso and Bobby Jose who carried the offensive load for the team by outsmarting their taller defenders.

The Gin Kings suffered their fourth loss in five games in the season-ending tourney and their ninth in as many head-on matches with the Rhum Masters since the Tanduay franchise rejoined the league last year.

"It’s a big win for us because we sent Ginebra to the cellar in a tie with Shell which we had beaten, too. If ever we end up tied at the end of the eliminations, of course we have the edge in quotient. Medyo malaki na ang chance naming pumasok sa quarters," said Chua.

Hontiveros, the team’s biggest hero over Shell, was at it again last night, topscoring for the Rhum Masters with 24 points on 7-of-20 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 stint from the stripe. He also had eight rebounds and one assist.

Bell fired 23 points and hauled down 13 rebounds, Cariaso added 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds while Jose contributed 13 points, including two three-pointers that put Tanduay on the driver’s seat entering the final two minutes of the game.

Ginebra dominated the first half but failed to get its act again together in the stretch with Tanduay seizing the momentum, 94-89, on a decisive 12-4 run capped by back-to-back treys by Jose.

Green himself tapered off at crunchtime, finishing with only 35 points – 12 points less than his output versus Purefoods the last time out.