THEY'D done it many times before in the past, and their knack for it isn’t about to end.
Through overtime, the Barangay Ginebra Kings made the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals, surviving a wringer versus the Converge FiberXers, 99-98, Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s miraculous to me,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone of their great, great steal of a win to arrange another Last Four confrontation with San Miguel Beer.
The FiberXers had the Gin Kings on the ropes in various moments. Each time, the Gin Kings found a way out, though – the last as Stephen Holt drilled in a step-back trey at the buzzer to snatch the win at the hands of Converge.
“Credit to Converge they showed a lot of resilience, but the Ginebra ‘NSD’ spirit continues on,” said Holt, struggling with his shooting but making it when the team needed it the most.
Holt made the winning shot after the earlier bail-out baskets from Jeremiah Gray, RJ Abarrientos and Troy Rosario, saving the Kings even as they lost key players Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar to fouls.
Three charities by Gray on an ill-advised foul from Alec Thompson with 3.4 ticks left in regulation sent the game into overtime.
Then Converge had taken a 95-89 lead on a booming four-ball from Juan Gomez de Liano when Abarrientos and Rosario drained their own big shots to get the Kings back within striking distance.
And Holt would not be left behind.
“We didn’t play really well but we just kept battling and kept fighting,” said Cone.
It was a fight completed following the earlier 105-85 romp to force the rubber versus their twice-to-beat fourth-seeded rivals.
Win-twice disadvantage overcome, the Kings are now through to an eighth straight semis.
They battle top seed San Miguel Beer in a best-of-seven semis face-off starting Jan. 4. (SB)
The scores:
Barangay Ginebra 99 – Abarrientos 20, David 13, Thompson 13, Rosario 12, J. Aguilar 10, Gray 9, Holt 9, Torres 8, Cu 4, Estil 1
Converge 98 – Gomez de Liaño 25, Concepcion 18, Arana 15, Baltazar 13, Caralipio 11, Stockton 8, Winston 6, Racal 2, Garcia 0, Muyang 0, Manuel 0, Delos Santos 0, Eguilos 0
Quarterscores: 19-21, 39-40, 68-60, 86-86 (reg.), 99-98 (OT)
