Kings feed on B-Meg sans import

MANILA, Philippines - Barangay Ginebra bucked the absence of import Curtis Stinson and playmaker Willie Miller for the second straight game as it pulled the rug from under B-Meg in a thrilling endgame, 89-85, last night to close in on a semifinal berth in the PBA Governors Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Ronald Tubid and Mark Caguioa stepped up in the absence of Stinson, out with a bruised right knee, as they hit the shots that mattered most to help propel the Kings from solo fourth to a share of second spot with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Talk n Text Tropang Texters on 4-2 (win-loss) slates.

The three teams are one game behind Petron Blaze, which totes a 5-2 card, with the Kings hoping to hurdle their last elimination round foe – the Alaska Aces – on July 16 to clinch the semis berth.

Tubid hit six triples en route to a team-high 20 points. He also canned in two pressure-packed free throws with 14.1 seconds left to secure the victory.

Caguioa, on the other hand, came through with 19 points and hauled down five rebounds, dished off six assists and made one steal in another superb performance for the undermanned but never-say-die Kings, who also clamped on defense to shut out B-Meg import Darnell Hinson.

“We played our hearts out, everybody stepped up even though we’re playing without our import,” said Caguioa.

Stinson actually suited up for the game but Brgy. Ginebra coach Jong Uichico opted to rest him for the second straight game.

And it didn’t look like the Kings needed him that much as the crowd favorites won for the second straight time without the lightning-quick American reinforcement. Ginebra also edged the Air21 Express in another down-to-the-wire finish, 89-87, last week with an all-Filipino crew.

B-Meg, which fell to its fourth defeat against three wins, opened the third period with a 7-0 blitz with Hinson leading the way as the Llamados posted another double-digit spread at 52-41.

But Tubid came through with those triples, sparking the big Ginebra comeback with the Kings finally snatching a 67-66 edge heading into the fourth period.

It was a see-saw battle the rest of the way.

With Tubid hitting it from the outside, the Kings overhauled deficits as many as 12 points and forced a 41-all count before the Llamados regained control by scoring the last two baskets of the second quarter, including one from Marc Pingris to go into the break ahead, 45-41.

The Llamados seized the momentum early as they erected a 30-21 first quarter lead capped by a triple by Jonathan Fernandez, a former National U gunner, at the buzzer.

Eric Menk and Billy Mamaril provided the inside scoring as they poured in 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Willy Wilson chipped in 12, crucial points in the stretch when Brgy. Ginebra took the lead for good.

Hinson scored a game-high 21 points and finished with nine boards and five assists but he was shackled by the tough Ginebra defense at endgame.Quarterscores: 21-30, 41-45, 67-66, 89-85