By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel successfully redeemed themselves after pulling off a redemption win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 112-96, in the ongoing PBA Governor’s Cup on September 18, 2024, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
With the victory, the Gin Kings just bounced back after that 49-point loss to the San Miguel Beermen and secured a ticket in the upcoming quarterfinal playoff round of the import-laced conference.
Ginebra improved to a win-loss record of 6-3, which means that they formally clinched a seat in the playoffs despite having a game left on September 22, 2024, against the NLEX Road Warriors.
Leading the way for the Gin Kings was rookie sensation RJ Abarrientos who exploded for a PBA career-high 24 points built from an efficient 8/15 shooting from the field.
After a slow start, the experienced neophyte showed the way for his ‘kuyas’ in the pivotal third quarter when he fired 13 markers alone that helped Ginebra steal the momentum away from the Fuel Masters.
That personal scoring frenzy was more than enough to put Ginebra back in the driver’s seat, eventually pulling away in the final frame to grab the much-needed playoff-clinching win.
Aside from his scoring exhibition, Abarrientos also stuffed the stat sheets and garnered five rebounds and five assists.
Veteran frontcourt star Japeth Aguilar was also fueled against Phoenix and dominated with 21 markers, eight boards, and four dimes.
It was Aguilar who steered the Gin Kings to an early double-digit lead in the first half, bullying his way underneath the shaded lane while embracing the scrapper role in diving for the loose balls and scrambling for the boards.
Ginebra had a balanced scoring effort against the Fuel Masters, one of the things that propelled them to a convincing win as former Most Valuable Player (MVP) Scottie Thompson also made his presence felt with 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Meanwhile, Ginebra’s resident import Justin Brownlee focused on getting his teammates involved after dishing out nine assists, the most deliveries by any player from both teams during the game. He then finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
