Meralco forced the last saga of his endless rivalry with Barangay Ginebra in a rubber match in their series of quarterfinals of the PBA Cup after the victory of Friday 108-104 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
After doing this with their first victory over the Gin Kings this season, the Bols know too well that they will have to be even better in the decision maker if they want to finish like the winner Ginebra and walk in the semi-finals where Northport is waiting.
The article continues after this advertisement
“We really have to play on another level,” said coach Luigi Trillo after enduring a foul night and a persistent Ginebra team who tried to finish a scan. “It means fewer errors, focus on tenacity.”
Match 3 is scheduled for Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City while breaking a 2-2 dead end in serial decision-makers. The winner then goes to the next round to slide him with the Batang pier, the best classified team after the eliminations that did a short work of Magnolia in their quarter -final series.
Ginebra won the first two, winning match 7 of the Governors of the 2017 Cup before 54,000 fans in Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, before prevailing in match 5 of the semi-finals of the Philippine 2020 Cup without any fans in the pampanga bubble.
The article continues after this advertisement
Meralco has triumphed in the next two, in match 3 of the quarterfinals of the Philippine 2022 Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena and in match 7 of the semi-finals of the Philippine 2024 Cup in San Jose, Batangas.
What a happy ending?
This time, the two teams will climb to the country’s capital capital to see which can write a happy ending in this chapter.
“We cannot fight without being ready,” said Trillo. “Pending this, we will look at what we have to do. It is a different chapter with many new guys on the other side. This is why we must be ready.
The Bols dropped match 1, 100-92, two nights before at the Smart Araneta Coliseum despite a thin advance twice in the fourth. This time, they made sure that their margin, which went up to 12 years, would be maintained.
It was even after the importation of Akil Mitchell, Cliff Hodge and Chris Newsome, who scored 24 points with five assists, had to play with five faults each.
Large elevator
Meralco, however, obtained a superb elevator from the longtime winger Jansen Rios, whose 15 points which included three key points kept Ginebra from a distance while helping the defense.
Rios has become an important part of the rotation, saying that his inspiration is his new baby.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has succeeded.
Justin Brownlee scored 36 points in the defeat, although Ginebra had the opportunity to link it when the RJ Abarrientos recruit opted for a four points.
Abarrientos, however, could not nail the disputed shot on the left side, and Ginebra is now left to start treating what has gone wrong and what to adapt in order to prevail against an old enemy.
