Gin Kings keep undermanned Dragons at bay in Game 5, near PBA crown

Game on Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
5:45 p.m. – Bay Area vs Ginebra (Ginebra leads series, 3-2)

MANILA, Philippines – Falling flat last time, Barangay Ginebra pushed the right buttons on second take and pounced on injury-hit Bay Area to move closer to the mountaintop.

Powered by the stepped-up plays of Justin Brownlee and sub Stanley Pringle and the roaring 21,823 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena, the Gin Kings disposed of the import-less Dragons, 101-91, to seize a 3-2 lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals Sunday night.

Brownlee, whose Best Import coronation in Game Four was spoiled by the Dragons’ 94-86 equalizer, came through with a bounce-back 37-point outing to help the Gin Kings overcome a tough stand by their rivals, who played minus import Andrew Nicholson and ace playmaker Glen Yang due to ankle injuries.

The soon-to-be Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player served as the linchpin on defense, producing eight rebounds, four blocks and three steals, in the pivotal win that put the crowd darlings in position to clinch the crown with a follow-up win on Wednesday.

But the difference-maker was Pringle, who fired 20 markers spiked by a pair of big-time triples in the last two minutes that doused cold water on the Dragons’ searing rally and restored an 11-point cushion going to the last 1:32.

“When Nicholson didn’t play (in Game Four), we were a little bit rudderless. We didn’t know how we’re going to play them defensively. But today, the difference was we had a better feel of what we wanted to do in terms of the (defensive) matchups and we’re able to do that for the most part,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

The Gin Kings got off to a 20-9 start and held leads that reached as high as 18 at 76-58. But the Dragons simply wouldn’t fold and threatened at 91-86 before Pringle led the mop-up that Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar capped off with spectacular plays.

“It’s a tough group. They’re really well-coached and disciplined. When we get leads, they don’t panic and we have to keep earning it, keep earning it,” said Cone of the Dragons, who were led by Hayden Blankley’s 29 and Kobey Lam’s 16.

But there’s a dampener to the win that got Ginebra on the hill: LA Tenorio went down with a groin injury in the third quarter, making his availability in the closeout attempt uncertain.

And over the Bay Area side, Nicholson and possibly Yang are poised to return to action.

Meanwhile, whether they win the trophy or not, the Dragons are all cool for a possible return stint in Asia’s first play-for-pay league.

“If I have any say on it, 100% (we’ll come back),” Dragons coach Brian Goorjian said during the Power and Play program on Radyo Singko.

“I didn’t do it to come here for a one-off. We’re in a unique situation here. This is our domestic competition. As far as we are concerned, we’re not a guest team. This is our day-to-day, this is how we live and breathe. So this is something I hope continues.”

Commissioner Willie Marcial said the PBA is open to inviting guest teams in succeeding tournaments again. He noted the exchange in basketball knowhow and strategies both parties stand to gain.

The scores:

Ginebra 101 – Brownlee 37, Pringle 20, J.Aguilar 12, Tenorio 8, Malonzo 7, Thompson 7, Standhardinger 5, Pinto 3, Gray 2, Mariano 0.

Bay Area 91 – Blankley 29, Lam 16, Zheng 15, Liu 10, Ewing 9, Song 5, Zhu 3, Reid 2, Ju 2.

Quarterscores: 23-24, 54-43, 76-62, 101-91.