Thompson bags BPC plum

Brownlee is best import

MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra refused to go into the Holy Week break facing a deep 3-1 hole against fired-up Meralco.

Responding big time to a must-win situation, the proud defending champions did everything in their power to drag the motivated Bolts to a 2-2 stalemate with a 95-84 victory last night at the packed Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fresh from their coronation, newly-minted Best Player Scottie Thompson and two-time Best Import Justin Brownlee delivered a sparkling 27-point performance each to fuel the Gin Kings to the vital equalizer in front of a huge Holy Wednesday audience of 17,298.

The duo combined for 23 in a telling 27-13 assault in the third quarter that tilted the game to the side of the crowd darlings, 68-54.

LA Tenorio rifled in 17, including back-to-back treys that preserved a 93-81 cushion for Ginebra, which has now reduced its fourth title duel with Meralco down to a race-to-two affair.

The protagonists will dispute the all-important third win on Easter Sunday after a brief break.

“I thought we played our best game of the series today,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone, crediting Brownlee and Thompson for their game-long brilliance, Tenorio for his clutch shooting amid Meralco’s fourth-quarter rally and Christian Standhardinger for his defense.

“When everybody’s contributing, that’s when we’re at our best. It’s not always gonna be like this but it was great to see everybody contributing together. We kinda broke apart last game but today it was really a collective effort and it’s hard for Meralco to focus on any one guy,” he added.

Cone said the third period was key.

“They beat us up in the third quarter when we last played (an 83-74 loss) so we knew we gotta come out with better fire today in the third quarter,” he said.

From a close five-point contest, the Gin Kings pulled away to a 64-49 tear behind 13-3 salvo ignited by their 1-2 punch.

There was no letting up from there for Cone’s troops who went on to lead by as many as 20 at 80-60 in the fourth.