MANILA: Barangay Ginebra learned its Game 1 lessons well.
The Gin Kings flirted with defeat yet again last night and almost threw away what it had worked for the entire game, needing clutch baskets from David Noel inside the final two minutes to level their Fiesta Cup semifinal series with Rain or Shine at 1-all.
Noel scored on a dunk and a triple at the game’s most crucial time, lifting the Kings to a tightrope 103-98 decision of the hard-fighting Elasto Painters at the Cuneta Astrodome to wrest momentum in their best-of-seven match-up.
“It’s hard to explain the game, they just kept coming back,” Uichico said with a sigh of relief.
“They (Elasto Painters) hit timely shots when we tried to blow the game open,” he added. “But we just kept playing and it could have gone either way. Good thing that we were able to get through this game.”
“The import’s job is to take over the game in the end,” said Noel, the former North Carolina Tar Heel in the US NCAA who scored 10 fourth-quarter points and shot 10-for-17 from the field. “This time, we were able to come through.”
Noel was obviously the big difference last night, as his triple gave Ginebra a 101-97 lead, a cushion big enough for the most popular team to hang on to and render the series into a best-of-five affair.
“It’s hard to explain the game,” Ginebra coach Jong Uichico said. “We looked as if we were dominating the game but they (Elasto Painters) kept on coming back and coming back and coming back. It could have gone either way.
“It’s back to the drawing board. This series, basing on the first two games, will be close.”
Although scoreless in the fourth quarter, Jay-Jay Helterbrand still wound up with 34 points, just a point shy of his career-high, after making 8-of-12 shots from three-point distance.
Ronald Tubid added 16 points and Billy Mamaril, charged with the tough assignment of having to contain Lewis, chipped in 11 points.
Six Rain or Shine players scored in double figures with rookie point guard TY Tang, seeing extended minutes with the continued absence of Solomon Mercado, scattering 19.
Another squad that learned a series-opening lesson - and put it to good use - was Burger King, which led by as many as 16 before out steadying powerhouse San Miguel in the clutch for a 116-113 victory for a similar 1-1 tie in their separate series.
Burly Shawn Daniels was as offensive minded as he could be, scattering 29 points built around an 11-of-14 clip from two-point zone as he led the Whoppers to the victory very few expected considering how easy the Beermen manhandled them the last time out.
“We just want to hang around long enough and hope that maybe San Miguel will make some mistakes,” said Burger King and National Five coach Yeng Guiao, who, instead of being disappointed with a 15-point series-opening loss on Wednesday night, said that he learned a lot after San Miguel laid all of its cards on the table.
Arwind Santos struck for 22 points and Gary David had 12 in able back-up jobs for Daniels and their performances proved to be keys to the Burger King win, unlike in Game 1 when they were good for a combined 12 points.
JR Quinahan came off the bench to contribute 17 marker for Guiao, while Gabriel Freeman had 34 points to pace the Beermen, whose rock-solid line-up was only able to draw double digit scores from two locals. San Miguel played with very little trace of the form it showed in a 102-85 Game 1 win, as they trailed most of the way before throwing away two three-point leads in the stretch to fall.
