Barangay Ginebra thwarts Meralco to once again rule over PBA Governors’ Cup

THE Barangay Ginebra Kings reasserted their mastery of the Meralco Bolts, putting down their rivals, 103-92, in Game Six to win the PBA Governors’ Cup on Friday night at the jampacked Mall of Asia Arena.The win allowed the Kings to finish the series, 4-2, and capture the Governors’ Cup crown in front of over 20,000 fans who trooped to the venue to witness the coronation. Ginebra has won four of the last five Governors’ Cup titles, all of which has come at Meralco’s expense.After a miserable first half that saw him score just two, Best Import Justin Brownlee came alive in the second half to give Ginebra the spark it needed. Brownlee scored 17 of his 24 points to push the Kings in front, 78-73, heading to the last canto. He also canned a three-pointer to punctuate an 11-0 Ginebra run that gave them their largest lead of the game at 16, 96-80, with 4:35 remaining in the match.Meralco then scored six straight to trim the deficit to 10 but Ginebra was unfazed with veteran guard LA Tenorio hammering the final nail in the Bolts’ coffin, sinking a triple with 1:10 left to give the Kings a commanding 101-90 advantage.Tenorio scored a game-high 30 points, 15 of which came in the first half to help Ginebra keep in step with Meralco.Christian Standhardinger added 19 points and 13 rebounds while Best Player of the Conference, Scottie Thompson, chipped in 15 markers.Thompson was also adjudged as the Finals Most Valuable Player.Tony Bishop led Meralco with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Aaron Black contributed 18 markers but it wasn’t enough as the Bolts remain without a title in their franchise’s brief history.