Ginebra’s height, might and energy too much for Air21

MANILA, Philippines – The giants continue to stomp around at will.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel laid a smackdown on the Air21 Express amid the latter’s strong fightback, 78-69, in the PLDT myDSL Philippine Cup on Wednesday, December 18 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Chris Ellis injected the much-needed energy for Ginebra in the second quarter, following a lackluster start that saw them trailing Air21, 15-16, in the first. But there was a quick change in the air as Ellis provided the hustle plays while Japeth Aguilar scored 8 of Ginebra’s 26 points in the second canto, good for a 41-26 halftime lead. Air21 was limited to just 10 in that period.

Aguilar was a monster on both ends of the floor, erasing 8 shots on defense and starring on highlight reel-worthy plays on the other end. A reverse jam in transition by Aguilar at the 6:40 mark in the third made it a 52-34 edge. 

But Joseph Yeo singlehandedly carried the Express on his shoulders, spearheading an 11-2 run bridging the third and fourth periods and scoring 21 points in the second half on his way to 28 pioints. 

His efforts, along with timely triples from KG Canaleta, brought Air21 to within 5, 72-67, with 3:50 remaining.

But Aguilar once again flew up high to the rim for a layup that stopped Air21’s momentum, 74-67, with 2:49 on the clock.

Aguilar finished with 22 big points along with 12 rebounds and 8 blocks, displaying a more versatile game this time around.

“Kasi galing Ginebra yung papa ko, so gusto ko makuha yung ‘Never Say Die’ attitude,” Aguilar said in the post-game interview. “Hearing stories before pag naglalaro siya, all out din siya. Yun yung gusto ko i-apply. Next generation na, may isang Aguilar na naglalaro pa.” (My dad was also from Ginebra, so I want to get his ‘Never Say Die’ attitude. Hearing stories before when he was still playing, he played all out as well. That’s what I wanted to apply. It’s already the next generation, another Aguilar is playing.)

Ginebra, who is known to struggle with transition defense, steadily improved on that aspect of their game throughout the contest, while Air21 had difficulty sustaining their energy and level of play.

Ginebra improved to 6-1 as Air21 stayed at the bottom with a 1-7 win-loss card.

The scores:

Ginebra (78) – Aguilar 22, Slaughter 19, Ellis 10, Caguioa 8, Baracael 7, Tenorio 4, Reyes 2, Helterbrand 2, Mamaril 2, Forrester 2, Monfort 0, Urbiztondo 0.

Air21 (69) – Yeo 28, Canaleta 14, Taulava 8, Camson 8, Cardona 4, Jaime 2, Burtscher 2, Custodio 2, Arboleda 1, Matias 0, Espiritu 0, Sharma 0, Ritualo 0.

Quarters: 15-16, 41-26, 57-46, 78-69

– with reports from Jane Bracher/Rappler.com