Kings, Beermen end it in 6, clash in final

MANILA, Philippines - Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer finished off Rain or Shine and Burger King in their respective semifinal playoffs last night to rekindle their sibling rivalry, arranging a duel for the Motolite PBA Fiesta Cup crown at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Kings dominated the Elasto Painters for a third straight game, hacking out a 108-100 win for a return stint in the second conference finale.

San Miguel is challenging its sister team for the championship as the Beermen eased out the Whoppers, 118-103, later in the night.

The Kings and the Beermen are engaged in the Last Dance for the fourth time in league history. The “Sister Act IV” starts Wednesday in the same venue.

“Anytime you get to the championship, you’re happy the time and effort you spent in all your preparations paid off. But it doesn’t stop there. You still have to try your best to win it all,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.

“We’ll be up against San Miguel. We have to come out prepared each game or we’ll be in trouble,” Uichico added.

“It’s gonna be an exciting series. It’s something different from our battle with Burger King. The key is gonna be guys being from free from any injuries,” said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

“People have been saying our players are talented. But talent doesn’t mean a thing if we don’t work together. Basketball is a game of five. I’m not saying lamang kami but I’m not also saying dehado kami,” Tanquingcen added.

The Beermen overpowered the Whoppers in the second half last night to gain a 29th finals entry.

Gabe Freeman dished out a double-double job with 26 points and 14 rebounds with Jonas Villanueva, Marc Pingris, Jay Washington and Danny Ildefonso each contributing at least 14 points as the Beermen bundled the Whoppers out in six games in their best-of-seven semis series.

David Noel and Ronald Tubid put in 23 points and 10 points each while Jayjay Helterbrand and Paul Artadi scored 17 apiece as the Kings finished off the Painters also in six games, gaining an 18th final appearance for a shot at a ninth championship in franchise history.