Caguioa sparks Gin Kings' end game escape

Mark Caguioa provided the spark in the homestretch as Ginebra nipped Petron, 91-89, in a thrilling endgame to their PBA Philippine Cup game Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.   Caguioa, playing his best game in a long while, finished with 22 points and was instrumental in the crucial endgame play that clinched the Kings’ sixth win in 11 outings.   With the match tied at 89-89 with 14 seconds left, the Kings isolated Caguioa on top for a possible game-winning shot.   But reading the Petron defense well, the hotshot shooting guard suddenly flicked a perfect bullet-pass inside to an open Willie Wilson for an easy undergoal stab and a foul to boot from Joseph Yeo.   Wilson missed the bonus free throw but left the Boosters with only 3.9 seconds to overhaul Ginebra’s two-point lead.   “I wanted to take the last shot, but once I saw Willie inside, I decided to pass him the ball,” said Caguioa, who also had five rebounds and three assists.   The Blaze Boosters called a timeout to map out a final play, but Alex Cabagnot, who had a big game for Petron, was hounded by Ronald Tubid and failed to get the ball back after the inbound play.   With Cabagnot fully covered, Danny Ildefonso was forced to take a long three-pointer that came up short at the buzzer.   “That’s why they called me the ‘Spark’ because I always wanted to spark the team,” said Caguioa, who also hit a critical jumper with 40 seconds left that stretched Ginebra’s lead to 89-86.   Not for long though, as Cabagnot answered back with a three-pointer for Petron at the other end, tying the game for the last time and paving the way for the exciting finish.   “That’s the Ginebra character,” said coach Siot Tanquingcen of the great escape pulled off by the Kings, who led by 41-30 in the second period and 83-73 with seven minutes left in the final quarter.   “I just want to thank the players, especially (Caguioa). He came out strong for this game.”   Cabagnot finished with a career-high 28 points and together with Yeo, led a strong endgame rally by the Boosters, who fell to 9-4 overall but remained on top of the standings.   Yeo’s five straight points, including three straight free throws, had the Boosters threatening at 87-86 with 2:31 left. — JVP, GMA News