Juan Gomez de Liaño did everything in his power, but Converge still fell short to a much more seasoned Ginebra in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
Amid the deafening cheers by the Ginebra faithful, Juan Gomez de Liaño sat near the scorer’s table feeling dejected Sunday night, Dec. 28.
“Heartbreaker,” said Gomez de Liaño.
No. 4 Converge fought hard, but, in the end, it still discarded its win-once armor against the fifth-ranked Gin Kings, 98-99, in overtime of their do-or-die quarterfinal tiff.
[RELATED STORY: Tim Cone on Ginebra's semis-clinching OT win over Converge: 'It just felt miraculous']
The FiberXers super rookie did almost everything in hopes of helping the team that drafted him second overall this year reach the semifinals for the first time in franchise history.
But this dream would have to wait as it was Ginebra which advanced to the penultimate round instead.
[RELATED STORY: Jeremiah Gray forces OT in Ginebra QF win vs Converge: 'Just another free throw in practice']
“I feel like it’s their game. Championship contender. Ginebra is a strong team. Especially the crowd, they have the environment,” Gomez de Liaño said.
“It’s a good experience. We just had unnecessary mistakes that could have been avoided.”
JGDL wound up with 25 points, none bigger than his four-pointer that gave Converge a six-point edge with only 1:38 left in the extra period.
But no lead was safe against the battle-tested Gin Kings.
After Gomez de Liaño made two free throws, Troy Rosario hit a three-pointer before Stephen Holt swished the cold-blooded triple to win it for Ginebra.
“Of course, bitin. I didn’t get the job done. My main goal was to help the team go past the next round. I feel like ever since Converge joined the PBA, they had a difficult time going past the quarterfinals,” Gomez de Liaño said.
“Now, we had the best chance, especially we had the twice-to-beat. So, pretty much sobrangbitin for me.”
[RELATED STORY: Stephen Holt lifts Ginebra past Converge in OT for semis seat: 'One of the biggest shots of my career']
The 26-year-old felt he could have done more.
“Individually, I feel like we could have done more. That’s what I said: I’m here to win a championship. We fell short, so that’s on me,” he said.
(With reports from Gillian Trinidad/One Sports Digital)
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.