Star a win away from finals

By JAY R. GOTERA MANILA — The Star Hotshots bounced back from two consecutive defeats to beat the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 89-80, in Game 5 of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series Friday night. The victory gave Star a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, moving it one win away from a finals berth. The Hotshots go for the clincher in Sunday’s Game 6. After a closely fought first half, the Hotshots rode on a 22-10 run in the third quarter and then weathered a typical never-say-die Ginebra rally in the final canto, which proved too little, too late to turn the game around. Rafi Reavis stunned everyone with a vintage performance as he finished with team-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds. The 39-year-old center was at his most explosive in the third quarter, pumping seven points as Star took a 16-point lead, 71-55, going into the fourth quarter. All 12 players fielded by Star coach Chito Victolero contributed baskets in a balanced attack that saw three other Hotshots scoring in double digits. Mark Barroca tallied 12 points and seven assists while Paul Lee and Allein Maliksi added 10 markers each. Ginebra coach Tim Cone failed to get enough firepower from his starters, forcing him to field his bench players in the final quarter. For a short while, the gamble appeared to click as the small lineup led by Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand sparked a 9-1 run that cut Star’s lead to seven, 87-80, with 2:20 left. But that was the closest the Kings could come as the Hotshots regained momentum to crush the short-lived Ginebra uprising. Japeth Aguilar led Ginebra with13 points, but was held scoreless for the entire second half. No other Kings managed to score in double digits, with Sol Mercado, Chris Ellis, and Caguioa only adding nine markers apiece. LA Tenorio continued his scoring woes, finishing with just five points, while rookie Kevin Ferrer could only cough up four markers. Game Saturday: TNT KaTropa Texters vs. San Miguel Beermen (Game 6, best-of-7 semifinals; TNT leads 3-2).