Kings clobber Barakos, 115-100, to keep path to PBA q'finals

Kings clobber Barakos, 115-100, to keep path to PBA q'finals
01/05/2008 | 01:13 AM
The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings kept their hopes alive of gaining an automatic quarterfinal slot in the 2007-08 Smart-PBA Philippine Cup by clobbering the Red Bull Barakos, 115-110, on Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

After an 11-day rest, the Kings came back on the hard court with great resolve, upending the Barakos to improve their win-loss card to 8-9.

The Barakos, who got their second straight loss, slid in the rankings with 9-7 card.

Scoring high for the Kings were Jayjay Helterbrand with a game-high 29 points, Eric Menk with 24 (along with 12 rebounds), and Mark Macapagal 15 (13 of which he scored in the fourth quarter).

Thus the Kings scored their second back-to-back victories in the tourney. The bad news is that the Kings still have some catching up to do to gain outright entry into the quarterfinals.

They have to win their last game against the Talk 'N' Text Phone Pals and hope that both the Red Bull Barakos and the Magnolia Beverage Masters lose all their remaining games to get a playoff crack at the fourth and fifth spots.

"It’s a long shot but we still have a shot. That’s important," Kings coach Jong Uichico said, as they won their first game of the year and kept their hopes for the Magic Five at the close of the eliminations.

"If ever we salvage an outright entry into the quarters, it’s really the hard way," Uichico added. "But as long as we’re fighting hard and doing the things that we should do, happy na ako."

Uichico felt his boys had lost their discipline in the second quarter but found a way to get back on track in the second half as they duplicated their October 19 rapping of the Barakos, with a score of 102-95.

The two teams figured in a battle of sieges. Ginebra had a jackrabbit start and then Red Bull making a big turnaround in the second period. Ginebra recovered in the third quarter only to see
the Barakos wage another rally in the final period.

The Kings had the final laugh, though, as they came through with a decisive run to break a 99-all standoff.

Macapagal rattled in four straight charities before scoring on a short jumper to trigger the run that resolved the outcome of the game.

With the Barakos down by six, 99-105, Junthy Valenzuela hit a three-pointer that could have narrowed down the gap with two minutes to go. But he extended his foot as he made his shot against the defending Macapagal and was called for an offensive foul.

Valenzuela led the Barakos with 28 points, 11 coming in the second quarter to fuel an amazing run that had the team erasing an early 15-point deficit and establishing a 63-50 lead at the half.

The Kings started the game with a 15-2 run and sat on a 30-23 cushion at the end of the first period.

Mike Hrabak and Topex Robinson also had a hand in their second quarter fightback.

Scores

Ginebra (115) Helterbrand 29, Menk 24, Macapagal 15, Reavis 11, Mamaril 10, Salvacion 9, Artadi 8, Caguioa 5, Tubid 4, Aquino 0, Escalona 0

Red Bull (110): Valenzuela 28, Baguio 23, Hrabak 17, Robinson 10, Najorda 9, Duncil 7, Pennisi 7, Sharma 5, Bugia 2, Cruz 2, Ybanez 0

Quarters: 30-23, 50-63, 87-84, 115-110


Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/75340/Kings-clobber-Barakos-115-100-to-keep-path-to-PBA-qfinals