Twin Towers' Strength is Too Much for Romeo-Less Batang Pier

LA Tenorio had 17 points and 7 assists for Ginebra. (Photo by the PBA Media Bureau)

GlobalPort Falters in the 4th Quarter

The Global Port Batang Pier dropped their first game of the season without their superstar, Terrence Romeo. And their agony looked to continue as the three-time scoring champion was still on street clothes during their first game for 2018.

Despite Sean Anthony's 29 points and a double-double from Kelly Nabong, the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings fought their way back late in the 4th quarter after falling behind by as much as 9 points to get their 2nd win of the Philippine Cup after beating the Batang Pier, 104-97.

And here's how the Gin Kings did it:

Twin Towers Displayed Full Strength

If there's one thing that makes Ginebra a dangerous team to play against at any given game, it's the dominance of their Twin Towers of Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter. Against the Batang Pier who was helpless without Terrence Romeo, Aguilar led the way with his 21 points on top of 9 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. GregZilla on the other hand, had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. With former versatile forward, Joe Devance now a free agent, it will be expected that Tim Cone will now rely more on his twin giants especially in games against the elite teams in the league.

Tinyente's Brilliance

What would Ginebra do without LA Tenorio? They wouldn't have won the Governors' Cup for two consecutive seasons without him. And when the Batang Pier appeared for an upset victory, LA Tenorio nailed two three-pointers in the 4th quarter to ignite Ginebra's comeback run. When the smoke cleared up, Ginebra's Iron Man had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals for another all-around performance.

Fourth Quarter Composure

To begin with, Global Port actually led as high as 11 points in the early moments of the 4th quarter before Ginebra began turning things to their favor. LA Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar took turns in scoring big basket after big basket which put a smile on Tim Cone's face. Due to their composure, the Gin Kings were able to score 36 points in the 4th quarter alone while limiting the Batang Pier to only 20 points.

Conclusion

Will Ginebra continue to dominate even against the likes of the San Miguel Beermen? Possibly as long as the Twin  Towers are healthy. On the other hand, people shouldn't count Global Port out of the playoff picture just yet. They have yet to win a game this season but when Terrence Romeo gets back, things will get better for the Batang Pier, eventually.