MANILA: So who needs an import?

Barangay Ginebra, forced to play without a reinforcement, last night played its best game yet and brought down heavyweight Rain or Shine, 94-89, for a second straight win that got the defending champion Gin Kings back into PBA Fiesta Cup contention.

The Kings got Eric Menk to come off the bench and posted vintage numbers of 24 points and nine rebounds, and Jay-Jay Helterbrand hit nothing but triples and free throws on the way to 20 and nine assists as Ginebra rose to 3-5 at the Araneta Coliseum.

“I guess it’s human nature that they (Elasto Painters) relaxed a bit because we didn’t have an import,” coach Jong Uichico told sportswriters, whom he also assured that one will be planing in either today or tomorrow morning.

Uichico, though, refused to name the import, who will be the third for the Kings here after Rod Nealy and National Basketball Association veteran Ryan Humphreys, who on Wednesday failed the 6-foot-6 height limit hours after he arrived.

“I will know later tonight,” Uichico said. “For sure, there will be somebody for Monday, I’m just not sure who it will be. The question here is if he (unnamed import) boarded the plane (for the Philippines ) or not.”

Ginebra, which won this tournament last year with 7-foot Chris Alexander, returns to action Monday opposite Burger King at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Curiously, Ginebra and Burger King came to terms to a big deal later last night, with the Whoppers to ship enforcer Homer Se and National team off-guard Cyrus Baguio for two future first round picks.

The Whoppers also unloaded another big name in Celino Cruz to Purefoods for Aaron Aban as the team continued discarding players that came in when Mikee Romero handled the team at the start of the season.

Both deals, however, will still need the approval of the Office of the Commissioner.

JC Intal, a sophomore small forward also acquired from the Bert Lina franchise at the start of the season, turned in the second double-double of his career, shooting 12 points and plucking down 11 rebounds for the Kings.

But it was Menk who really shone, as he topped off his output with two free throws in the final 43 seconds after foiling a Rain or Shine fastbreak and being fouled by Gabe Norwood.

Paul Artadi then put the icing on the cake with two of his own off Solomon Mercado just 23 seconds later for 91-84.

Mercado, the other half of Rain or Shine’s super rookie tandem, had 24 points to pace the Painters, with import Jai Lewis shooting 20 and grabbing 18 rebounds. But Rain or Shine trailed by as many as 18 and fell with no one after Mercado and Lewis shooting more than nine points.

Barako Bull paraded a new import in the first game and Jeff Varem debuted with a triple double.

But the Energy Boosters still couldn’t find a way to beat Alaska as the Aces finished with a flurry for a 100-90 victory anchored on 28 Willie Miller points that snapped a three-game losing streak and got them out of the cellar.

And while Varem, a Nigerian, did have 13 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists, he was conspicuously a non-factor in the stretch when the Boosters needed him the most, held without a field goal and to just two points in the final quarter.

Alaska improved to 3-6 with the win, while the Boosters dropped to 2-6 and are now the tail-enders.

“I keep scratching my head these past few games,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone. “We’ve been practically doing really well in practice but can’t seem to translate it into a win come game time. It’s really perplexing.

“But right now, we got that monkey off our backs. We’re thinking already of the playoffs. Is (Nos.) 3 and 4 available for us? I don’t think so. But obviously we don’t want to be on 9 and 10.”

Last night, the Aces appeared to be headed for another cliffhanger, with the Boosters coming to within 85-84 with 4:44 left to play on a basket from John Arigo, who scored a personal conference best 25 points coming off the bench.

But Jeffrey Cariaso completed a three-point play and had a charity split before Miller knocked in a triple, and Tenorio completed his own three-point play off Gabby Espinas for a 97-86 lead heading into the final 2:37.

“We got a little aggressiveness from Willie tonight,” said Cone.