MANILA, Philippines — Rampaging Barangay Ginebra primed up for an overseas clash against Rain or Shine next week in Bahrain with a 108-77 whipping of also-ran Terrafirma in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Gin Kings, as expected, took the fight out of the cellar-dwelling Dyip right from the get go on their way to a third straight win to stay on course to a quarterfinal berth at seventh place with a 5-4 slate.
A victory against the pacesetting Elasto Painters (7-2) on Wednesday would formalize Ginebra’s entry in the quarterfinals. But the ultimate goal is to try to salvage a Top 4 finish for a twice-to-beat advantage, should it also take care of business against Titan Ultra next Sunday for its final assignment.
“The idea is to always create a momentum going into the playoffs so these guys know the magnitude of our remaining games in terms of a big picture in getting a playoff spot and still, maybe getting lucky to the Top 4,” said coach Tim Cone.
Ginebra did, pouncing on the hapless Terrafirma with a torrid 23-8 start and never looked behind.
In the second game, Meralco (5-4) eliminated Phoenix (3-7) with a 88-78 win to shore up its playoff drive behind the 22 points of CJ Cansino.