Justin Brownlee in Game 3 of the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals between Ginebra Gin Kings and San Miguel Beermen. –PBA IMAGES
Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone is a firm believer that there’s no use sulking and dwelling over the past.
And his Gin Kings on Sunday night in Dasmariñas, Cavite, gave him the game that backed that up.
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“No matter what happens to you, you got to find a way to move forward. Whether it’s a good thing or bad thing, you gotta focus on what’s ahead of you,” he said after his Gin Kings carved out a 99-94 victory over San Miguel Beer at the City of Dasmariñas Arena for a 2-1 lead in their PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series.
Justin Brownlee came through once again for the crowd darlings, scoring eight of his 30 points in the final period to douse the Beermen’s tries at a comeback as Ginebra put a bungled Game 2 chance last Friday behind.
READ: PBA: Another Ginebra win, another Justin Brownlee masterclass
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“There’s a real art in moving on when it comes to basketball and sports, and I think that’s a real valuable tool even in life,” Cone said. “Whether we lose or whether we win, we have to continue to move on and look at the next game or look at the next thing.
“We’re not gonna dwell on, ‘We could’ve,’ or, ‘We should have,’ the bottom line is this is where we are right now, and this is what we’re gonna deal with,” Cone added.
Japeth Aguilar had 22 points and eight rebounds, while Maverick Ahanmisi had 15 and 11. Stephen Holt added 11 points, and Scottie Thompson and rookie RJ Abarrientos tossed in eight each to help preserve the heroics of Brownlee and prop the Kings back on track after the bitter overtime loss two nights before.
Brownlee, who exclusively scored all his baskets from the perimeter or closer, also had nine rebounds, five assists and five blocks—his layup with 20 ticks left proving to be the final nail in the coffin of the Beermen.
“We had some uncertain moments in the third quarter when we came out of halftime, but thanks to this guy here, we recovered. Thanks to this guy again down the stretch, we were able to win. And thanks to this guy, and thanks to this guy,” Cone said of Brownlee, who joined him in the postgame interview.
“That was basically the story [and] we just played better defense tonight, I felt,” he went on.
Import EJ Anosike was just as steady for San Miguel, putting up 32 points and 10 rebounds. The local Beermen, however, weren’t as proficient like they were in Game 2 with CJ Perez finishing with just 13 points and Marcio Lassiter and June Mar Fajardo getting held to 12 points each.
Terrence Romeo, the Caviteño who was big in the last encounter, finished with only eight.
Both squads will have a two-day break before Wednesday’s Game 4 at Smart Araneta Coliseum, where Cone and his charges get a chance to put a veritable chokehold on their sister team.
“We’re trying our best to keep June Mar moving and play hard,” Cone said. “We prefer them not having an extra day off, but this is something we need as well, so we’re gonna both cherish this, I think. We’ll try to recover our bodies.
“I know Justin’s gonna love it, and hopefully, he’ll be recharged to go.
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“It’s important, I think, to have some extended break because it keeps the quality of the game high. When you can come in and play fresh, it keeps the quality of the game high. When both teams are worn out, sometimes the quality can go away. So I like the fact that we’re getting a couple of days off,” he added. INQ