DIGOS CITY - Scottie Thompson dished out a game that delighted the home folk here and led Barangay Ginebra to a second straight Petron Blaze Saturday Special triumph versus the struggling Blackwater side.
Before a good weekend crowd at the Davao del Sur Coliseum, Thompson marked his homecoming here with a sterling all-around effort with 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals as the Kings reigned over the Elite, 85-67, and thus moved up to third place in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Together with fellow Gilas pool member Japeth Aguilar, Thompson showed readiness to render duty to the national team once again.
Aguilar, shaken by a bad fall in their most recent outing, was back on his feet, collecting a game-high 20 points that went with nine rebounds and five steals.
Starting Monday, Thompson and Aguilar join Gilas in full training in preparation for the final window of the FIBA World Cup qualifier where Team Phl plays Qatar on Feb. 21 in Doha and Kazakhstan on Feb. 24 in Astana.
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Greg Slaughter contributed 17 points while Kevin Ferrer chipped in 14 markers steals as the Gin Kings built momentum ahead of the PBA break in connection with FIBA WC qualifier.
The Kings scored a second straight win and thus moved up to third place with a 3-2 behind Phoenix Pulse (5-0) and Rain or Shine (5-1).
Blackwater stayed on a slump and dropped down to 1-5.
The Kings dished out a heads-up game and showed the way almost throughout in pulling off a follow-up to their 97-85 win over Columbian Dyip in the previous Petron Blaze Saturday Special.
Mike Digregorio and Joseph Eriobu led the losing team with 14 points while rookie Abu Tratter added 13 on top of seven rebounds and five steals in a sterling off-the-bench effort. (SB)
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The scores:
Ginebra 85 - Aguilar 20, Slaughter 17, Thompson 16, Ferrer 14, Dela Cruz 5, Mercado 4, Caperal 3, Cruz 3, Chan 2, Mariano 1, Tenorio 0, R. Aguilar 0, Devance 0, Teodoro 0.
Blackwater 67 - Digregorio 14, Eriobu 14, Tratter 13, Desiderio 7, Palma 6, Sumang 4, Belo 3, Alolino 2, Sena 2, Jose 2, Jose 2, Cortez 0, Dario 0, Maliksi 0.
Quarters: 22-12, 44-28, 68-46, 85-67.
