Sister squad and powerhouse San Miguel Beer, though, is fast fading out from the playoffs race.
Import Nate Brumfield and Mark Caguioa combined for 19 of Ginebra’s 29 fourth-quarter points, and the Gin Kings whipped the Beermen, 106-94, their third straight win and fourth overall in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Sunday night at the Araneta Colizeum.
Brumfield scattered nine points and provided the strong offensive and defensive presence at the middle in the final period, and Caguioa knocked in 10 in the homestretch including the killer three-pointer that put the Kings safely on top at 101-90 with 1:22 to go as Ginebra made a huge step forward of making the six-team quarterfinal stage.
“This is the crucial stretch of the elimination round. No team can afford to lose. Kailangan manalo lagi especially in this game because San Miguel is fighting for its life. We have to bring our A-game every time,” said Kings’ coach Jong Uichico.
Technically, Ginebra needs two more wins to gain safe passage into the best-of-three quarterfinals. But as things have turned out in this short, import-spiced tournament, one more could be enough for the most popular ball club to advance.
Brumfield finished with a total of 33 points and 12 rebounds, and Caguioa wound up with 17 points while Rudy Hatfield and Willie Miller combined for 21 points for the Kings, now tied for third spot with Alaska, which lost to Talk ‘NText in overtime Saturday night, 85-80, in an out-of-town game in Cagayan de Oro City.
But as Ginebra’s chances of stepping into the playoffs become clearer, San Miguel’s isn’t.
The 18-time champion and finalist the past two conferences has now lost four straight games. It has a 1-5 (win-loss) record, with its only victory coming at the expense of Meralco on March 4 courtesy of a buzzer-beating follow-up from a player who no longer plays for the ball club, import Ira Brown.
Worse, the Beermen have been pulled at the bottom of the standings.
They will now need to sweep their three remaining games to at least have a shot of making the playoffs via a higher quotient, if ever.
David Young, the SMB import who expressed his desire to return to the US after the tragedies that hit Japan, scored 23 points to lead the Beermen. Arwind Santos recorded 13 points and had eight rebounds while Rabeh Al-Hussaini had nine points and 11 boards.
The last time that San Miguel missed the playoffs was in the 2005 Fiesta Conference. The Beermen are in their worst start since they went 0-6 (win-loss) in the 2007 Fiesta Conference.
Ginebra, however, found it hard to break away from San Miguel, which threatened for the final time at 86-85 on a basket by Young.
But Caguioa sparked and capped a 15-4 run with a triple, and Brumfield scored seven straight points in between as Ginebra sealed the contest with an 11-point bulge.
Alpha Bangura, meantime, savored his first taste of triumph and in doing so, gave Dondon Hontiveros, Dany Seigle, Dorian Pena and Paul Artadi their initial rub with victory underneath an Air21 Express uniform.
Bangura, a replacement import, erupted for 41 points to power Air21 to a confidence-regaining 94-92 victory over the disintegrating Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to break out of a four-game losing streak.
The last time the Express beat an opponent was on Feb. 25 against San Miguel Beer. And it took nearly a month after for Air21 to win again behind a reinforcement who played according to expectations.
Bangura shot 15-of-28 from the field and hit all of his nine free-throw attempts to go with 11 rebounds, rewarding the franchise of a new amount of hope of making it to the playoff round.
“I think lumabas na talaga ang laro ni Alpha,” said Air21 coach Bong Ramos. “Nakapag-adjust na. We came out strong tonight and we were able to overcome a strong team. We got over the hump.
“Hopefully we continue to win and execute. As a coach of course I want to make it to the quarter-finals. It’s not impossible, it’s very achievable as long as we have the chemistry.”
Hontiveros contributed 18 points on a night he will also remember for being only the fifth man after Allan Caidic, Ronnie Magsanoc, Al Solis and Jimmy Alapag to at least convert 800 career three-point shots.
Seigle added six points and seven rebounds while Pena and Artadi combined for 13 rebounds for Air21, which is now tied with Powerade and Derby Ace in the standings.
More significantly, though, the four ex-Beermen finally nailed a victory with the Express since the March 2 blockbuster trade that sent Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Noy Baclao and Rey Guevarra in return to San Miguel Beer.
The Painters, who led by as many as 40-30 in the second period, dropped their third game in a row. They have slowly slipped in the standings (3-3) after recording a 3-0 start, a franchise best.
Bangura hit a triple that virtually sealed the result, 90-82, time down to its final 1:39. But the Painters came roaring back, and Gabe Norwood knocked in a three-point shot of his own to make it a 94-92 ball game with five seconds left to play.
Rain or Shine, however, didn’t get the chance to foul somebody in the ensuing play as Bangura slipped away from defenders before dribbling away the remaining seconds.
