By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel just punched a PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal ticket after schooling the NorthPort Batang Pier, 106-93, during the quarterfinal round last January 19, 2024, held at the Philsports Arena.
Ginebra immediately took control of the pace of the game and neutralized NorthPort’s spitfire scoring after putting on the clamps in the first two quarters.
After only holding a slim 25-22 advantage after the first 12 minutes, the Gin Kings turned it up in the next quarter and stomped over NorthPort with a 30-point production in the second frame to balloon their biggest lead to 23 points.
Aside from their fiery second-quarter offensive showcase, the Gin Kings also slowed NorthPort down after only limiting them to just 13 points.
From there, the Gin Kings never let go of their momentum and maintained their sense of urgency in the whole second half.
Despite NorthPort edging them in the third quarter when their three-point bombs started to fall into the basket, the Gin Kings made it up in the fourth after replicating its 30-point outing in the second frame.
Tony Bishop sparked the Ginebra rally and top-scored the Gin Kings with 31 points while pulling down 14 rebounds in 43 minutes of playing time.
Meanwhile, the high-flying Jamie Malonzo put up an efficient performance of 21 points built from 8/11 shooting from the field alongside seven rebounds and two assists.
Christian Standhardinger and Maverick Ahanmisi also stepped up when the Gin Kings needed them the most and chipped in 18 and 16 points, respectively.
With the win, Ginebra just set up a highly-anticipated semifinal duel against their arch-rivals, the San Miguel Beermen.
