MANILA - Barangay Ginebra came back to its true form as they hacked out a pulsating 91-84 win over Coca-Cola yesterday in the second round of eliminations of the 2008 Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.
Jay-Jay Helterbrand led the Kings' onslaught by finishing with 27 points-18 in the first half-to keep the Kings' hope of a quarterfinals berth alive.
So amazing was the 5-foot-11 guard's spirited play that he made a timely steal off Donald Copeland en route to an easy lay up with only 14 seconds left that practically ended the Tigers' chance.
With their third straight win, the Kings moved to a tie at sixth along with Talk 'N Text at the tailend of the 10-team standing after the first round of elimination.
Helterbrand, who played briefly with the Kentucky State University in the US before being hired directly by the Kings in 2000, likewise pulled down four rebounds, 3 assists and one steal.
He connected with two triples early in the second to move the Kings on top 51-41, at the end of the half.
Baskets
And with Junthy Valenzuela and Marc Caguioa scoring back-to-back baskets, the Kings stretched the lead to 11 points, 71-60, entering the decisive quarter.
His firepower enabled the Kings to a 48 percent shooting from the field compared to the Tigers low of 42.
Aside from Helterbrand, Caguioa added 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, while the 7-foot import Chris Alexander contributed 13 points, but grabbed 22 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 blocks.
Three Tigers, the 5-foot-11 import Donald Copeland, Cesar Catli and Nic Belasco, scored 18 each, while the 6-foot-8 import Jason Dizon could only managed seven points but grabbed 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Tigers, seeking their 10th win in 15 matches, to move them just three games away from clinching the first automatic semifinals slot, took an early 14-2 lead, thanks to Cesar Catli's hot start.
The 6-foot-3 Catli, a 10th overall pick by Sta. Lucia in 2005, scored 8 of Coca-Cola's early surge but the Kings couldn't be denied of an all-important victory as they cut down the deficit to a lone point, 23-24, in the first quarter. (FCC)
