By REYNALD MAGALLON
The never-say-die mantra lives on.
Stephen Holt drilled a clutch triple at the buzzer as Barangay Ginebra displayed grit, guts and poise to outlast Converge in an epic 99-98 overtime victory to advance to the semifinals of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 28.
Just when it looked like the Kings were on the verge of missing the semis, they repeatedly came back from the grave – first the three crucial free throws from Jeremiah Gray that forced the overtime at the end of regulation, and then the booming triple from Holt that capped the dramatic comeback.
Missing on his three-point shots all game long and without veterans Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar in the dying seconds, Holt took matters on his own hands, faking off MJ Garcia before rising for a one dribble pull-up trey from the top of the key to send the Kings to the semifinals of the all-Filipino conference.
He was shooting 1-of-7 from deep prior to that shot but delivered when it mattered the most to finish with nine points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Kings who drew plenty of heroes from the rest of the team just to survive the FiberXers.
Troy Rosario actually nailed a big triple the possession before to keep Ginebra within striking distance, 96-97, with 20 seconds left and after trailing by as many as six, 89-95, inside the final two minutes.
Converge actually had the chance to build some cushion but Justine Baltazar split the charities that could have given the FiberXers a three-point lead.
RJ Abarrientos had 20 points while Thompson contributed 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
Rosario had a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds while Aguilar finished with 10 points and seven rebounds before exiting the game.
Juan Gomez de Liano poured everything he could with 25 points – 18 of which he fired in the fourth quarter and extra period while Archie Concepcion came through with 18 points off the bench.
The FiberXers actually looked to be on their way to their first semis appearance but Alec Stockton fouled Gray while taking a triple with 3.2 seconds left in the fourth.
A huge four-pointer from Gomez de Liano seemed to be the dagger Converge needed late in the extra period but the resilient Kings clawed their way back to give themselves a shot at the win in the final possession.
