BARANGAY Ginebra looks to make it back to the finals against early finalist San Miguel Beer.

Meralco hopes to extend the series to a deciding Game 7 and keep their season alive.

Against this backdrop, the Gin Kings and the Bolts square off anew in Game 6 of the their best-of-seven semifinal showdown in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Game time is 7:30 p.m.

The Gin Kings are hoping to finish off the Bolts as swiftly as possible to conserve energy for a highly-anticipated title clash with the San Miguel Beermen.

“I’m sorry to the fans in Batangas but if we don’t see them, Id’ be very, very happy,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone, referring to the venue of Game 7,if necessary.

Cone admits it’s not going to be easy, especially against their old rivals Bolts.

Meralco coach Luigi Trillo is confident that his team will give their all in a bid to play one final game against the Gin Kings.

“It’s not over,” said Trillo in an interview posted on PBA website.

“We believe in our guys. We’ll bounce back. We have a day or two to prepare so we’ll get ready for that Game 6,” added Trillo.

Last Sunday, the Gin Kings defeated the Bolts, 89-84, to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

Christian Standhardinger, Scottie Thompson, LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar, and Stanley Pringle have stepped up big time for the Kings.

Standhardinger was the man of the hour for the Gin Kings, as he finished with 34 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor, adding 10 rebounds and five assists in 43 minutes of action.

Maverick Ahanmisi added 13 points while Aguilar had 10 points and 12 boards.

But for the Bolts, Chris Banchero and Chris Newsome are looked upon to lead the team.

Banchero scored 18 points and dished out six assists, while Newsome contributed 17 points and six rebounds.

Game Wednesday:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
7:30 p.m. — Ginebra vs. Meralco

Results:

Game 1 — Ginebra 92, Meralco 88.
Game 2 — Meralco 103, Ginebra 91.
Game 3 — Meralco 87, Ginebra 80.
Game 4 — Ginebra 90, Meralco 71
Game 5 — Ginebra 89, Meralco 84.
(Ginebra leads semifinal series, 3-2)

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya