MANILA, 8 June 2006 — There was another great comeback. But it was not by Barangay Ginebra.
Its advantage in manpower glaring, Red Bull kept the Gin Kings within arm’s length all game last night and posted a 93-86 victory in Game 1 of their best-of-five quarterfinal series in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Alaska was the one which mounted a great comeback, also grabbing a similar 1-0 lead in its separate series with Coca-Cola after posting a 95-94 decision of the Tigers in the first game.
Nic Belasco hit a triple from dead-center of the arc with almost zero time left on the clock as the Aces completed a mighty comeback from 20 points down to pull out the win.
Enrico Villanueva scored 10 points, plucked down 13 boards and missed a triple double by just three assists in leading the Barako past a Ginebra side that seemingly played fatigued.
The Kings came into the game fresh from a classic ballgame against the Air21 Express on Sunday. And that victory could have taken a toll on the entire team, which has tried to make do despite severe manpower shortage.
Mark Caguioa saw action for 42 minutes and scored 27 points to lead Ginebra, which will be playing without four key players for the rest of the series.
Jay-Jay Helterbrand, a huge reason why the Kings have managed to survive, sat it out for the second straight game because of back pains. He is still listed as day-to-day with Game 2 of both series scheduled tomorrow. The game was close only in the first quarter, when Ginebra still had something left in the tank.
It ended at 24-all before the Barako turned up the heat in the second and methodically pulled away, leading by as many as 16 points at one instance before the halftime break.
The Kings still showed the resiliency in trying to come back. But it was clear that their offense was not at its sharpest as they bungled crucial possessions late in the game which could have made it closer.
Lordy Tugade scored 22 points to pace the Barako, the third seed, while Cyrus Baguio added 17 points off the bench.
The last Tugade basket, a round robin layup which came after Caguioa threw away possession, made it 92-82 with still 2:46 to go.
But the Kings couldn’t hit the baskets when they needed them and allowed the Barako to escape. It was a great victory for Alaska that wasted a great effort by Johnny Abarrientos, formerly the Aces’ foremost son, who displayed vintage form in leading the Tigers.
The 1996 Most Valuable Player scattered 16 points but bungled two crucial free throws at the height of the Alaska comeback, which could have stifled the Aces a bit.
“It’s quite ironic Johnny would miss those shots,” said Alaska’s Tim Cone. “I know him so well and he’s been responsible with my success as a coach.” Abarrientos, who helped Alaska win a total of nine titles and a Grand Slam in the 1990s, played a total of 27 minutes. Aside from leading the Tigers in scoring, Johnny also had six assists, four rebounds and a steal.
“I don’t feel exactly happy with the way we played, but my hat’s off to Nic,” added Cone. “He’s been a savior for us the whole conference. His arrival has made our team a contender.”
Willie Miller found Belasco wide open for the game-winner and the 6-foot-7 forward went on to share scoring honors with the former Talk ‘N Text guard with 20 apiece.
The winner of this series will advance to clash with a well-rested San Miguel crew in the semifinals. Purefoods, which nailed top-seeding, is awaiting the winner of the Red Bull-Ginebra quarterfinals.
