MANILA, Philippines – It took quite some time, but Japeth Aguilar and Christian Standhardinger have found a way to make it work.

The twin tower combination of Aguilar and Standhardinger has worked wonders for Barangay Ginebra as it gained a share of the lead in the PBA Philippine Cup following a 106-82 rout of Terrafirma on Wednesday, July 6.

Aguilar shone on both ends with 22 points, 7 blocks, and 6 rebounds, while Standhardinger delivered all-around numbers of 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists as the Gin Kings’ main gunners.

“We really worked on it. It did not happen overnight,” Aguilar said in a mix of Filipino and English when asked about his chemistry with Standhardinger.

Although he put up his usual numbers, Standhardinger struggled to find the right fit at Ginebra when the team acquired him from NorthPort through a trade in March last year.

Standhardinger plays the same position as Aguilar, who has been one of the Gin Kings’ top players since his acquisition – incidentally also from the Batang Pier – nine years ago.

In fact, Ginebra suffered a disappointing quarterfinal exit in its title-retention bid for the All-Filipino crown during the first conference Standhardinger joined the squad.

But that is a thing of the past now as two Gin Kings stars thrive while playing together as starters.

Aguilar has emerged as an early contender for the Best Player of the Conference plum with averages of 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.3 blocks.

Meanwhile, Standhardinger is also in the same BPC conversation with norms of 15.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals.

“Until now, we’re still working on our chemistry. We take it one game at a time, in practices and in games,” said Aguilar.

The Aguilar-Standhardinger connection will be tested when Ginebra faces reigning Philippine Cup champion TNT – which is riding a five-game winning streak – on Sunday, July 10, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com