KaTropa gets drunk on Ginebra
Ginebra Kings stayed true to their words “Never Say Die” as they won 121-94 against the Talk-N-Text (TNT) KaTropa in the first game of the semifinals round of the 2017 PBA Governor’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Monday.
Justin Brownlee with 21 points, and 18 rebounds. Photo grabbed from PBA Images.
The Kings, being the defending champion of the league, showed that they deserve to be this year’s champion once again as they dominated the whole game.
Joe Devance stepped up his game and was hailed as the Player of the Game with 19 points, and 4 rebounds.
It was a close fight during the first quarter, with quick exchanges of points between both teams; but the Kings decided to stick away and dominated the second quarter, 60-48.
Jayson Castro and Glen Rice Jr. were the key players for TNT with their 3-point shots, and lay-ups, however, they were not enough to raise their team.
With the Kings’ aggressiveness, they were able to force KaTropa in committing turnovers that also contributed to their score.
LA Tenorio, Greg Slaughter, and Justin Brownlee stood up in the third quarter with their back-to-back points that swelled the lead into 95-75.
One of the highlights of the game was when Ginebra’s veteran star players “The Fast,” Jayjay Helterbrand, and “The Furious,” Mark Caguioa, stepped in the game sometime in the third and fourth quarter.
Caguioa was able to contribute 13 points even though he entered the game late, while Helterbrand made two assists.
TNT KaTropa, still with high hopes, continued with their shooting, but their shots were continuously rejected that led to their 27-point lead loss.
The Kings will defend their throne against the KaTropa in the second game of the best-of-5 series on Oct. 4, Wednesday, at Batangas City Coliseum.
SCORES:
GINEBRA 121 – Brownlee 21, Devance 19, Slaughter 16, Caguioa 13, Tenorio 10, Aguilar J. 10, Cruz 10, Thompson 7, Mercado 7, Mariano 4, Taha 4, Helterbrand 0, Aguilar R. 0
TNT 94 - Rice Jr. 26, Castro 16, Pogoy 12, Tantuaa 7, Carey 6, Nuyles 6, Rosario 5, Willimas 5, Semerad 5, Hernandez 3, Reyes 2, Chua 1, Golla 0, Lingganay 0, Seigle 0
Quarters: 31-22, 60-48, 95-75, 121-94
