Barako Bull’s Monfort makes Ginebra see red

Make no mistake about it, Eman Monfort – the shortest player in the PBA at just a shade over 5-foot-6 – is proving to be the real thing for Barako Bull.
The pint-sized point guard established a career-high in scoring for the third straight game Friday night, shooting 25 points that helped the Energy tear Barangay Ginebra apart, 104-91, for a share of the Governors’ Cup lead at the Araneta Coliseum.
Monfort tossed in 12 of his total in the third period and helped import Mike Singletary rip the game apart for the Energy there as Barako Bull won for the third straight game to rise to 3-1 and tie Petron Blaze for the lead.
Incidentally, the Boosters can break out of that tie Saturday when they clash with sister squad San Mig Coffee at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Rain or Shine can snap a two-game slide also Saturday when the Elasto Painters slug it out with skidding Air21.
“What can I say, it was a great game by Barako Bull,” coach Rajko Toroman said in praise of his squad, which again played minus two mainstays in Enrico Villanueva and Jonas Villanueva.
“Eman played the best game a point guard can play,” continued Toroman. “He is really a crucial part of this team. He’s starting to become a player who can make an impact in the PBA.” Singletary paced the Energy with 38 points and 17 rebounds, but Barako Bull was able to blow the Gin Kings off the court because of the back-up that he got, especially from Monfort.
Barako Bull led by as many as 17 points in the third period before the Kings came to within seven with 8:04 left in the fourth quarter after LA Tenorio completed a three-point play off Dorian Pena that made it 87-80.
But the Energy dropped seven unanswered points, five of them from Monfort, as they choked the life out of the Kings with a 94-80 lead heading into the final 4:49.
Dior Lowhorn, the Kings’ burly import, paced Ginebra with 30 points, and Billy Mamaril added 14.
Ginebra lost Japeth Aguilar with less than eight minutes gone in the first period because of a right knee injury, which he suffered after having his layup attempt foiled by Singletary.
The 6-foot-9 Aguilar, the surprise package for Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba-Asia Championship won by Iran, was helped out of the court and was taken directly to the hospital for tests.
Meralco, meanwhile, snapped a two-game losing streak earlier by stopping Talk ‘N Text, 92-86, and spoiling the return to active duty of three of the Tropang Texters’ Gilas stars.
Mario West also churned out a PBA career game by tossing in 47 points, 18 of them in the fourth quarter.
But the key to the Meralco win was the way the Bolts played defense, as they held the Texters scoreless inside the final 2:05 to wriggle out of a tight game and win convincingly.
“The best way to compete against a star-studded team (like Talk ‘N Text) was to focus on defense,” the eloquent Meralco coach, Ryan Gregorio, said. “I thought that was our only chance and our defense bailed us out tonight.” Jason Castro, Larry Fonacier and Ranidel de Ocampo played for the first time in the tournament, and the trio did almost everything except see the Texters win.
Castro scored 17 points and Fonacier 11, but like the others in their team, couldn’t score when Talk ‘N Text needed it in the stretch.
Import Tony Mitchell paced the Texters with 32 points.