Ginebra trio turns back Kings' fortunes in 4th to beat Barako

Barangay Ginebra overcame stubborn Barako Bull Thursday night, 88-83, to avoid being relegated in the bottom half of the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.   Mike Cortez, Ronald Tubid and Mark Caguioa joined hands in the fourth period as the Kings recovered just in time to secure their fourth straight win. The trio scored 10 straight unanswered to turn a 69-67 deficit to a 77-69 lead midway in the quarter.   Ginebra, which led by 47-27 just before halftime, never looked back from there as it clinched eighth overall win in 13 outings.   The Kings aim for a better quarterfinals finish when they close their elimination round campaign against defending champion Talk `N Text.   “Well, we just have to play hard and see where we’re going to fall,” said coach Siot Tanquingcen after the match. “At least we avoided having to beat twice either the numbers one or two teams (in the playoffs).”   That distinction now belongs to Barako Bull, which was relegated to seventh spot in the quarterfinals and needing to win back-to-back against the No. 2 team to move into the semis.   The Energy suffered their third straight loss for a 6-8 (win-loss) slate.   To its credit, Barako Bull made a huge third-quarter run against the league’s crowd darlings where they overhauled a 20-point deficit to tie the game at 67-all entering the final 12 minutes of play.   Veteran Don Allado scored all of his nine points in the third, including the game-tying basket.   The Energy even grabbed a slim 69-67 advantage at the start of the fourth, before Tubid’s two free throws—off an Allado foul— sparked Ginebra’s telling run.   “They got back on us and made a game of it,” said Cortez, whose 17 points led all Barangay Ginebra scorers. “But we stayed focus and didn’t lose our composure.”   Caguioa added 16 for the Kings and Rob Labagala finished with a career-high 14 markers.   Two-time league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Willie Miller’s 18 points paced Barako. — JVP, GMA News Scores: