Fired-up Caguioa revitalizes Gin Kings

MANILA, Philippines - With Mark Caguioa hitting his mark lately and rest of the Barangay Ginebra rising to the challenge, things begin to look up for the PBA crowd favorites.

Caguioa came through with the points that mattered most for Barangay Ginebra in a crucial win that netted him the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period Nov. 12 to 18.

The second straight such citation for the reigning MVP is a well-deserved one after leading the Gin Kings to a 96-93 thriller of a victory over Alaska last Sunday – their third straight following a five-game skid in the Philippine Cup.

In that game, Caguioa shook off some shooting woes to scatter 13 of his game-high 24 points in the final quarter, including Ginebra’s last three that spelled the difference.

“Iyung puso niya sa laro, iyun ang pinaka-asset niya,” said Kings coach Siot Tanquingcen of Caguioa the day after the match. “How he played last night (Sunday), both on offense and defense at the end of the game, talagang masasabi mong he willed us to win.”

Caguioa, who turned 33 Monday, said it’s all about team effort.

“Everyone in the team is getting involved and we have more flow in our offense,” said Caguioa. 

“The most important thing is, the guys are learning their roles. And coach Siot is doing a great job telling guys where they should be and what they should be doing so it makes it easier for everyone.”

Caguioa took charge when Ginebra needed to break out of a very tight game that featured 14 deadlocks and as many lead changes.

The Kings even stared at a 72-80 deficit early in the fourth before Caguioa found his rhythm and range, with ample help from Willy Wilson, LA Tenorio, Chris Ellis and Billy Mamaril, and finally turned the tide to their favor.

The victory improved Ginebra’s win-loss record to an even 5-5 that put it at fifth-running spot. 

With just four matches remaining in the 14-game eliminations, the Kings seem well on their way to nailing a slot among the eight teams advancing to the playoffs.

Caguioa will make sure of that.