The new-look Barangay Ginebra crew took down another heavyweight, and, just like the first one, the Gin Kings again did so in electrifying style.

The Gin Kings ran rings around Rain or Shine Sunday night and posted a 97-84 victory to stay unbeaten in the early goings of the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations before a thrilled crowd at the Araneta Coliseum.

Japeth Aguilar was at the forefront of the high-flying Ginebra show, while former MVP and team leader Mark Caguioa was at his offensive best as both led the Kings to comfortable leads early and to a second straight win.

Their 2-0 record actually tied the Kings for the early lead with Barako Bull, which withstood a furious Alaska stand in the first game for a 97-93 decision.

The loss was the first in three games for the Elasto Painters, who fell behind by as large as 17 in the first period and never recovered. The best that Rain or Shine could do was come within nine in the fourth, a rally which Ginebra quashed immediately.

Aguilar scored on a number of gravity-defying dunks, the last a breakaway tomahawk that he slammed which much force that it got the huge crowd going. That basket gave the Kings an 84-66 lead near the halfway point of the fourth period.

“Iba na talaga ang matangkad,” Ginebra coach Ato Agustin said of Aguilar and fellow frontliner Greg Slaughter, the 7-foot former Ateneo ace whom the Kings made as the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft.

Caguioa finished with 22 points – 20 better than his output in his first game of the new season – while Aguilar and Slaughter wound up with double-double efforts of 19 points and 10 rebounds and 18 and 13, respectively.

LA Tenorio, the Gilas Pilipinas hero who lost the MVP award narrowly to Petron Blaze’s Arwind Santos last season, had 10 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and five steals in an MVP-like effort that held the Kings together.

“We had a good start where we had the energy, the hustle and the team effort,” Agustin said. “We played good defense all game. They (Painters) tried coming back but my players remained focused through all of it.”

Ryan Arana led the Painters with 21 points with Jeff Chan and Jervy Cruz chipping in a combined 25.

Rain or Shine rookie Raymond Almazan redeemed himself from an atrocious debut by shooting nine points and grabbing the same number of rebounds in another 14-minute stint.

In his first game, Almazan, who ended his NCAA career with Letran as the season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, laid a big fat egg also in 14 minutes. But on Sunday night, he had some great moments against Slaughter and the 6-foot-9 Aguilar.

The reedy Almazan, picked third overall in the Draft behind Slaughter and Ian Sangalang of San Mig Coffee, even had a left-handed dunk in the face of Slaughter.

In the first game, the Energy made full use of the three-point shot in the fourth period to erase a 65-80 deficit and complete their come-from-behind win over the Aces.

Ronjay Buenafe and Mick Pennisi both went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, and JC Intal had the seventh triple for Barako Bull in the final frame as they nosed out the Aces for a 2-0 card like the Kings.

“I was just lucky because I missed my first three (three-point) shots,” Pennisi said on the way to the dugout. “But that is what I am here for – to shoot threes and not just look pretty.”

Alaska played with complete command practically the entire night, until the Energy caught fire from afar.

Cyrus Baguio led Alaska with 20 points, Sonny Thoss had 18 and Gabby Espinas 12, but the Aces simply couldn’t buy a bucket when they needed to in the stretch, with Baguio muffing the potential game-tying triple try heading into the waning seconds.

“It’s still too early, we still have 12 games left,” said Barako Bull coach Bong Ramos after steering his crew to a 2-0 start for the second time in the last three conferences. “Hopefully, we continue to stay positive and gain positive results.”