[ad_1]
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior reporter
ASIDE from team effort, experience at the big games has been paying dividends for the Barangay Geneva San Miguel Kings in their final assault on the PBA Philippine Cup title.
Now up 3-1 in their Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) All-Philippine Cup title series to best of seven after winning Game Four, 98-88, on Sunday, the Kings said that They are grateful to have experienced players who were able to get work done in the midst of a tough challenge from a talented team like TNT Tropang Giga.
“You can’t rule out playoff experience,” Barangay Geneva coach Tim Cone said after his victory in Game 4.
And experience in the form of players like LA Tenorio, Joe Devance and Jared Dillinger proved vital to the Kings as they fought back against Tropang Giga for the victory that propelled them to the pinnacle of winning the Philippine Cup title.
Veteran guard Tenorio, in particular, was key to his team, making big three-point shots down the stretch to continually frustrate TNT in their attempts to turn the tide in their favor.
With Tropang Giga slowly closing in on the Kings with less than three minutes to play, Mr. Tenorio hit two 3-pointers “in cold blood” to help his team create a separation from which he built to close the game. game.
“He (Tenorio) was very calm under pressure. RR Pogoy [of TNT] he was making amazing shots and they are cheering up. It’s hard to answer but that’s what LA did, ”said Mr. Cone of his floor general, who finished with 22 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Messrs. Devance and Dillinger started with the Kings in Game 4 and made their presence felt as stabilizers for the team throughout the game.
Mr. Devance finished with a near-double-double of eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Mr. Dillinger had seven points aside from the intangibles he contributed to his cause.
“We had a definitive game plan for our veterans and they followed through on it,” Cone said.
Also joined for the team in victory were Japeth Agular and Scottie Thompson, key players in the Kings’ championship missions in recent years.
Aguilar also had 22 points, along with nine rebounds and two blocks, and Thompson narrowly missed a triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Stanley Pringle, meanwhile, had 16 points for Barangay Geneva.
Now in a position to wrap things up in their next game, Cone expressed hope that the experience will be there for them again and they continue to play well.
“I felt like we played our best game in the entire bubble tonight. We made great shots all night and made defensive plays. I hope we can transfer it to Wednesday, ”he said.
[ad_2]
